Twilight High
by DeathRavenLove
Summary: Junior Year at Twilight High... Roxas feels he's in a rut. Every year, it's the same things. But this year, everything is new. Why? And what's with these mysterious 'Gardens' AU. AkuRoku, SoRiku, CLeon, Zemyx
1. The New Everything

**A/N: I don't even know why I'm writing this XP… I think I like KH more than Naruto now… OH NO!! Sorry SasuNaru fans… I'll pay more attention to these fics, but I'll try to get back to my SasuNaru.**

**Naruto: You better! I'm tired of Sasuke pulling away from me!**

**Sasuke: How about I help you with that problem now?**

**Yea, too early for character dialogue, right?**

**Warnings: Hmm… Erhmmm… AkuRoku, SoRiku, CLeon (have NO idea what it's called…) other pairings… **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… Except this fic…(gets it stolen) NOOOOO!!**

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_Ring! Ring! RING! RING!_

Roxas lazily moved his hand to his alarm clock. He pressed the off button on it and let his hand droop off of the bed. 'Don't wanna go,' was the only thought that crossed his mind as he lay in bed.

About 20 minutes later a brunette with spiky brown hair walked in. He eyed the sleeping form and only giggled as he walked on over and tugged off the sheets. Roxas started shivering and started tug-of-war for the sheets, with his eyes still closed. "Give me back the damn sheets!" he yelled.

"Hell no!" the brunette yelled back. "Wake up already! It's the first day of junior year, and I don't wanna miss orientation!"

Roxas opened his eyes this time. He saw the form of his younger twin brother, Sora. "Sora," Roxas sighed. "Orientation is the same every year. They tell us not to gamble, murder, do drugs, and all the other crap every year… People _still_ do it! So why waste my time being early?!"

"So we can see the new students! Duh! I heard that we have a whole lot more students this year, ever since Destiny High had to close down… But anyways, maybe we will find you someone nice to be with. You're always so… so… you…"

"Fine," Roxas grumbled as he slid out of bed. He shoved Sora out of the room, and changed quickly. When he walked downstairs, there was a plate of pancakes for him on the table. Sora was already there, enjoying his own plate.

"Hello Roxas," his mother said as he sat down. Roxas only grunted in response.

"He's just angry 'cause I dragged him outta bed," Sora said, with a hint of pride.

"You'd be angry too," Roxas muttered. "Who gets to school early on the _first_ day of school? It's not even senior year, so it's not that important."

"Now now, Roxas," she said. "Being on time is always good for your college résumé. How do you think your older brother got into such a wonderful college?" Roxas groaned. He really hated it when his mother would compare them to his older brother. The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence. When they were ready to leave, both Roxas and Sora waved bye to their mom and left the house to walk to school. This was how it was everyday. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, get home from school, sleep, and repeat. People always told Roxas that he was very boring, but he never really cared. Was Sora right? Did he need someone in his life to cheer it up?

"Roxas!"

"Wha -?" Roxas looked at Sora.

"I said we should go pick up Kairi," Sora said. "God, you're really out of it today…" They both walked up the driveway to Kairi's house and Sora knocked on the door. A woman with wine-colored hair answered the door.

"Well if it isn't Roxas and Sora. What brings you so early to our house, today?"

"It's the first day of school, Mrs. Hikaru," Sora politely said.

Mrs. Hikaru gasped. "Oh my! Was that today? Oh, I guess I should wake up the girls then. Please come in."

"No thank you ma'am," Roxas said. "I have to round up my friends up to."

"Oh," Mrs. Hikaru said, with that constant smile. "Well, you have your own friends, too. But Sora will be staying, right? The girls just love you."

"It's nothing like that," Sora stammered, turning slight red. "But I would love to stay. See ya at school Roxas." Sora walked into the house and closed the door. Roxas sighed and started walking towards school. He checked his watch. He still had a good half an hour to round up his friends.

After several stops, he and his three best friends were walking to school. Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Hayner and Olette were arguing about Hayner's homework methods. "How long you think it'll last this time?" Pence asked, as he got closer to Roxas.

"I don't know," Roxas whispered back, to avoid the other two hearing them. "I think that Hayner will crack first, though."

"Yea, Olette won't quit that easily," Pence agreed. Roxas yawned. "You look bad. Didn't get enough sleep last night?"

"That, and my little brother woke me up too early for school. He was excited about the new students or whatever." The rest of the walk to school was carried out with just Pence and Roxas listening to the arguments of Hayner and Olette.

When they arrived at the school grounds, they were fifteen minutes early. Already, about half of all the benches for the orientation were filled. All four of them sat together and just chatted until Sora came over with two girls. One with wine-red hair, just like Mrs. Hikaru, and the other that had short blonde hair and pale skin. "Hello Roxas," the blonde one said as she sat down next to him.

"Hello Mrs. and Mrs. Hikaru," Roxas said. The one with hair like their mothers smacked Roxas.

"Don't say that!"

"Forgive me," Roxas said, sardonically. "Miss and Miss Hikaru." Before the girl could reply, the school bell rang, and the principal called everyone's attention.

"Welcome everyone," The man with glasses said. He was dressed in a suit, and his features were extremely young for a principal. He shouldn't have been older than 30 years old. Every student practically gaped at him. "My name is Laguna Loire. You can all call me Mr. Loire."

"Uhm, Roxas?" the pale girl said, trying to get Roxas' attention.

"Yea, Naminé?"

"Am I dreaming, or is that actually our new principle?"

"I think that's actually our principle, Naminé," Roxas replied.

"Well whoever he is, he's hot," the other girl said.

"Kairi," Sora said in a teasing tone. "I wonder if you know that dating your school principle is in fact frowned upon in social societies." Kairi just hit Sora over the head. "OW!"

The rest of the orientation went on about welcoming the students from Destiny High, and just about everything that Roxas said there would be. The girls in the campus paid the most attention. When orientation was done, every got up and went to the giant board that displayed their classes and periods. Beside each of their names were a bunch of new people's names.

"What the hell is this?" Roxas asked as he looked over at his name, and the name of some other guy.

"Didn't you hear, Roxas?" Olette asked. "Or are you really that out of it? Mr. Loire wants us to take a student and show him around campus. We've been paired with students in our own grades, so we can hang out with them all day."

"Oh boy," Roxas mumbled. "I have some guy named 'Riku.' God, this is annoying!"

"Don't get your hopes up," a voice said from behind them. They all spun around to see some guy with silver-white hair. "I guess you're my guide? The name's Riku. So, where are we going now?"

"Follow me," Roxas mumbled as he left with Riku.

"Well, let's go with whoever we have then," Kairi said. "Let's meet together at lunch 'kay?"

"Yea."

"Sure."

"Whatever Kairi…" Everyone went off to find the new students they were paired up with. Sora looked around. 'Let's see,' he thought. 'It says I'm with some guy named… Demyx?"

"SORA!" Sora turned around and saw some blonde with a mullet calling out his name. "SORA! Where are you?!"

Sora walked on over to the blonde. But before he could get to him, some shorter boy with slate-colored hair whacked him over the head.

"Oww!" the boy with the mullet yelled. "Stop being mean, Zexy!" This gave him another whack on the head.

Sora walked up to the blonde. "Hi, you were calling my name at first?"

"So you're Sora!" the blonde shouted, forgetting his sudden injury. "I'm Demyx! And this guy over next to me is Zexy!" The other boy shouldered him in the side. "Oof! Fine, it's Zexion…" This made both Sora and Zexion smile at his foolishness.

"Whatever," Sora said, a little to happily. "Let's get to class, Demyx. Where's your partner, Zexion?"

"Some girl named Naminé," Zexion mumbled.

"Don't worry about Zexy," Demyx said, as he patted Zexion in the back. "He's usually this quiet."

"Sora?" Sora turned around and saw Naminé.

"Oh, hey Naminé. I think I found your partner."

"Thanks," she said. "Ready to go, Zexion?" He nodded and followed Naminé off to class.

"By the way, how am I going to meet up with you after class?"

Demyx looked at him funny. "Didn't you hear the principal? He said we are in all your classes, that's how the list's arranged. So where do we go first, Sora?"

"Uhm," Sora stammered as he reached into his back pocket for his schedule. "I got Chemistry in first period. Then it's Algebra, English, and then lunch. My friends wanted to get together at lunch along with you guys. After lunch we got Health/Physical Education and Music. The classes alternate every other day, so you want me to tell you what we have for tomorrow?"

"Nah," Demyx said with a smile. "I wanna get to class early, and see who's stuck in Chem. with me."

"Alright," Sora sighed, as they started walking to the Science building. "Prepare to fall asleep…"

"No way, that's what History is for," Demyx joked. They both laughed and continued to tell jokes as they walked off to chemistry.

Roxas sat in his seat to the left of the guy with silver hair. He didn't seem to want to talk much, and that suited Roxas just fine. They both sat there as Kairi and some redhead walked through the door. Roxas didn't pay much attention to them, until she chose to sit down next to him.

"Hey Roxas," Kairi said, trying to be cheerful. "Who's that next to you?"

"The name's Riku," he replied back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kairi." Kairi only giggled, making Roxas groan and throw his head down onto the table.

"I'm tired. If you don't mind, I would like to get some decent sleep before our teacher comes in."

"What's the matter Roxie?" a teasing tone said. Roxas opened his eyes and looked at the redhead who said it.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You gotta problem with me calling you Roxie?"

"Actually I do," Roxas said as he sat back up. "I barely know you. Although I could never forget you."

"So it _is_ my charm," he said as smiled. His smile seemed to be filled with so much energy and mischief.

"Actually, it's your hair," Roxas said, as he grabbed a spike without thinking. He played around with it in his hands. "How do you even make you hair this spiky? And it's practically flaming red."

"Which makes me all the more adorable," He said as he winked at Roxas.

Roxas pulled his hand back. "I'm not interested, and I'm not gay."

"All in due time, Roxie. All in due time." Roxas was about to respond, but the teacher walked in. Then he realized that he had said all that in front of Kairi and Riku. Shouldn't he had been talking with Riku instead? And what about that hair?

"Class," the man said from his desk. He had flowing silver hair, and he wore a suit, even though the dress code allowed people to wear anything they wanted. No one had even realized that he was there. "My name is Sephiroth. Call me Mr. Shinra. I will be your History teacher for the entire year. In this class, you will obey, or receive an 'F.' It is your choice and I could care less about you. Now, each one of you come up here and take a textbook. We have a lot of work to do today." He smiled a sadistic smile that sent shivers down Roxas' spine. This was going to be a _long _year.

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**A/N: Hello wonderful fans! Here is the end of the KH fic that I'm writing. I hope you all like it, and I think I should explain something.**

**I will get a lot for this fic from FF VIII. I don't really know too much about FF VII. Well actually, I do, but I thought using FF VII was too overused, so I was like, hey I'll use FF VIII. So there you have it.**

**I hope I did a good job. Please review, and tell what you think :D.**


	2. The Bet

**A/N: Without further ado, I give you… wait… Did I spell ado right? Ah forget it! I give you the second chapter of Twilight High! What's going to happen? You know what the best part is? I DON'T KNOW! Sorry… I just ate some sugar… lol…**

**I'm soooo sorry this came out late… By the way, I'm leaving on vacation today. Just wanted to post this chapter up before leaving… I'm sorry; I'll probably be back around April Fool's day. And no, it's not a trick. If it was a trick, I wouldn't own KH… Oh wait… I don't…**

**Disclaimer: You think one of them would just die and give em to me already! (Gets killed by readers instead) OH SURE! Very supportive!**

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Mr. Shinra's class was well… educational to say the least. Well that's what he thought. 'This is torture!" Roxas screamed in his head, as he slammed it onto the desk. They were learning about some boring stuff that no one even bothered to comprehend. It was as if Mr. Shinra continued to drone on and on and…

"Roxas!" Roxas suddenly lifted his head to see the embodiment of evil glaring at him. "What is the answer?"

"E-Erh…" Roxas stammered as he looked down towards his paper that was supposed to be for notes. Instead, there were little drawings that he had done. Roxas mentally groaned and looked at his teacher. "I don't know," he muttered.

Mr. Shinra nodded, as if he was okay with that. He pointed to the red haired boy next to Kairi, who also looked like he was going to fall asleep any moment. "Axel!" Axel only lifted his head in recognition. "What was the answer?"

Axel sighed. "Fire?" he asked hopefully.

Mr. Shinra shook his head. "No Axel, it's not fire, because fire starts with an F, which is what you'll be getting. Pay attention!" And with that, Mr. Shinra turned back towards the board to write down an assignment.

"Hey," Roxas heard whispering from someone. He turned towards Riku and hissed, "What?"

"Need help with history?" Riku asked. Why did Riku take to a sudden interest in Roxas' ability to do history? He could do history perfectly fine! It was all Mr. Shinra's fault!

"No," Roxas hissed back, making Kairi slightly jump. Roxas never really used the tone of voice. Whenever he did, his friends would usually stay away from him until he simmered down.

"Fine," Riku said. "Just trying to help the guy that I just so happen to have **all** my classes with." Riku then turned away and started working on the assignment that Mr. Shinra had out. But to Roxas, nothing had gone wrong. He was mad at his teacher, and he was sleep-deprived. 'Stupid Sora,' Roxas cursed his little brother. The rest of the class seemed to fly by, as Mr. Shinra gave them time to work on individual assignments.

When they all left class, Roxas and Riku waved bye to Kairi and Axel. They said their goodbyes, Axel adding in a wink for Roxas. Roxas scowled as he and Riku walked to their next class. Roxas really didn't hope he was coming off as cold. It's just that he was angry right now. The old history teacher must've left, because the so-called Mr. Shinra was a new face.

"He came from Destiny High," Riku stated, as if reading his mind.

"Wha-?" Roxas asked, relaxing his face a little.

"Sephiroth. He came from Destiny High. And by the looks of your face I can tell you don't like him. I don't blame you for snapping at me earlier. Kairi told me you were tired because your little brother forced you out of bed." Roxas only nodded as Riku continued to talk.

"And Sephiroth is a real pain in the ass. No one knows anything about him, really. Those who ever get too close to him have a way of 'disappearing.'" Roxas gulped at Riku's tale. Now he didn't want to get close to Mr. Shinra at all.

"It's as if he knows each student's weakness. How much sleep they got last night, whether they're paying attention or not, he knows everything. So, I would be careful around him." They both arrived in front of the classroom to their next class. Music. Roxas walked in and saw Naminé already sitting in front of her usual piano. Naminé was some sort of piano prodigy, and Kairi seemed to share the trait as well. They both were excellent on duet pieces. Roxas took the seat to the left of Naminé, because a man with bluish gray hair was occupying the one to the right of her. And he was reading…

"Hey Naminé," Roxas said, a little more cheerfully. He had always been better friends with Naminé while Sora had always been better friends with Kairi.

"Hello Roxas," Naminé said in her usual quiet tone. She waved her hand to the man next to her. "This is Zexion." Zexion showed no real response. He just flipped the page in his book.

Riku bent his face down until it was close Roxas' ear. "Ignore him. He's usually this quiet." Roxas nodded. It seemed as if Riku had put their little fight behind them. Good. He didn't need another enemy here. They all just sat there, Roxas telling Naminé to watch out for Mr. Shinra. They barely noticed a woman with flowing black hair walked in. She wore black clothes that weren't exactly revealing but not what you would call everyday clothes. She coughed into her hand to get everyone's attention. Everyone immediately had his or her attention on her.

She nodded in self-satisfaction and started talking. "My name is Tifa Lockhart, but I would rather have you guys call me Tifa. I shall be overseeing your drama and art branch for this year. This class focuses on music, so I would like a show of hands to see who can play an instrument. Several hands were raised, Roxas, Riku, and Naminé being part of that group. Zexion stilled seemed to be intently reading his book. "Very well then, I would like each of you to tell me what instrument you play." She pointed at Naminé. "Piano," Naminé said a little shyly. She nodded and pointed in the middle of Roxas and Riku, but they both thought she was referring to them.

"Guitar," they both said at the same time. They both looked at each other, a little surprised. Guitar was not a common instrument in Twilight Town, due to the manufacture materials needed for it, and Roxas was rather proud that he could play it. Tifa smiled and asked the rest of the classes their instruments. She went into the bags that she had brought and took out two guitars, two violins, and three flutes. She then went over to the piano that stood by the side, and brushed off any dust that may have gathered. People were staring at the instruments she had brought out. Wood was something that wasn't too common in Twilight Town. Almost every house was made of bricks, and there was a law banning the cutting down of any trees. Tifa each gave them their respective instruments, and asked them all to play a piece for her. The class went by without any real noticeable differences from a regular class. Everything went by smoothly until Zexion's chair suddenly collapsed on top of the weight. Of course, he had been reading at that time, paying no attention to the class. After that, he just sat there and listened to everyone play their pieces.

"That was good everyone," Tifa said near the end of class. "Next time, I would like to focus on those who can't play an instrument. Tell me which instrument you would like to learn, and we shall try to teach you. Class dismissed!" Everyone except a few students got out of their seats.

"C'mon Roxas," Naminé said. "Aren't you coming?" Roxas shook his head.

"Unlike Sora, I remember my schedule. I have art right after this." Naminé simply nodded and led Zexion out of the room. Roxas just sat there waiting for the next class until Riku broke the silence.

"I didn't know you could play the guitar," he said as if it were something boring and ordinary.

"I got my guitar as a present from my mom's close friend. She lived on Destiny Island I think. You?"

"I got mine from a fallen papou fruit tree. I tried to make it into something like a ukulele, but I made it too big. So I made mine from various strings I found."

They sat there in even more silence until the rest of the class arrived, and Tifa greeted them once again. Roxas looked around and noticed Hayner drawing the shapes that Tifa asked them to draw. Next to him, was a pink-haired boy that was also drawing in his notebook. Roxas resigned himself to following what Tifa told him to do. Somewhere near the end of class, Tifa started walking around checking on everyone's work. She threw in the occasional compliments, until she stopped by Roxas' desk. She looked Roxas drawing a picture of some creature in white. It had long skinny arms, and its "feet and arms" were bound together into one.

"Very good Roxas," Tifa said as she commented his work. "But I would like you to do the assignment that I told you all to do." Roxas sighed and took out the sheet of paper underneath his drawing. It contained descriptive drawings of a ball, a cube, and a pyramid.

"Impressive," Tifa said, marveling at the textures of Roxas' shadings. "Carry on." She put a little slip of paper on Roxas' desk and moved onto the other students.

Riku looked over at Roxas' drawing of that white creature. "What the hell is that?"

"It's a Nobody," Roxas explained. "Creatures that don't exist. They are only our bodies without hearts."

"Interesting," Riku muttered. "Did you make that creature up?"

"Yea, I did. I like drawing Nobodies. Sora seems to like the Heartless more though." Roxas then noticed the slip of paper on his desk, and he opened it up. It said, in Tifa's handwriting,

_Dear Roxas,_

_Surprised to see me? Or do you not remember me? Either way, I'm a good friend of you brother's. Looks like you are doing well in art, as usual. How's Sora? It's great to have you in my class this year. That way, I can keep an eye on you. Say hi to Sora for me!_

_-Tifa_

Riku raised an eyebrow as he read the letter over Roxas' shoulder. "You know her?"

Roxas nodded. "I remember her. She is a friend of my older brother, Cloud. I didn't know she taught though. Hmm…" At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Tifa clapped her hands, gathering everyone's attention together.

"Alright everyone! Class dismissed! Head to lunch, and hurry!" Everyone rushed out the door, Roxas and Riku being one of the first ones out. They stopped near the door, and waited for Hayner and the pink-haired man to join them. They were the last ones out, and Tifa followed them out, practically running to the faculty room.

"Oh, hey Roxas," Hayner said. He motioned towards the man next to him. "This freak with the hair is Marluxia. He apparently loves flowers."

Roxas only nodded, and started walking towards the cafeteria. He paid half-attention to Hayner's rambling. When they arrived at the cafeteria, they got their lunches and headed towards a table where their friends were all sitting. At a separate, but close, table were the kids from Destiny High.

"So," Kairi said, as she greeted the last two members of their group. "How was the first day of school for everyone?"

"Shouldn't we be asking our partners that?" Pence asked. They all looked at the other table where most of them ate in silence. Only a blonde with a Mohawk, Axel, and a girl with short black hair were laughing and talking loudly. Kairi sighed, and started to walk over to the other table. She asked them if they would like to move their tables together, and none of them spoke.

Axel suddenly spoke up, "Sure. We'd love to meet everyone." Axel got up, followed shortly by the blonde with the Mohawk. They pushed their table until it collided with the other one, with all of their lunches still on it. The other kids moved their chairs to the table, as Axel and the blonde took a seat. Everyone sat in silence, no one eating, just watching everyone.

Kairi gave out a sigh. "How about we all introduce ourselves. My name is Kairi Hikaru." She motioned to a girl in white sitting next to her. "This is my sister, Naminé Hikaru." They all went from there, each giving out their names. Roxas Strife. Sora Strife. Olette Osorio. Pence Fosford. Hayner Isrile. Riku Utada. Marluxia Floress. Zexion Revan. Yuffie Kisaragi. Demyx Lexite. Larxene Lexite. After their introductions, some of the tension melted away, each of them conversing slightly with each other. Roxas didn't really feel like talking, so he just slammed his head on the table hoping people would take a hint. Someone poked him on the side. Roxas looked up and saw Axel smiling at him.

"I have no one to talk to. Talk with me please?" Roxas only slammed his head into the table, even harder. "You're going to get brain damage doing that, Roxie."

"It would probably be better than talking to you," Roxas muttered. He looked up and saw Axel smiling goofily at him. "What?"

"You talked!" he exclaimed. He started to laugh like an idiot. Suddenly, he composed himself in an instant. "So," he said calmly. "Tell me about yourself."

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked. "You already know my name. I don't give out personal information to strangers."

"True, I am strange. But you can trust me." Axel brought up a hand to stroke Roxas' face. Roxas didn't even notice it. All he was concentrating on were those eyes of his. So green… They heard someone coughing, and they all looked over to Larxene, who was coughing into her palm.

"Save the mushy crap for bed!" she yelled. "I don't wanna see you guys start making out. In fact, none of us wanna see you start making out!" She looked around, but no one really had any objections. She coughed into her palm again, and everyone started agreeing with her.

Roxas started to feel red coming into his face. Suddenly, he wasn't so sleepy anymore. He pulled away from Axel, while Axel only just smiled. "Aww," Axel cooed. "Larxene's jealous cause she doesn't have her own man to mooch off of."

"Like I would be," Larxene shot back. "I could get any of these losers here to be my boyfriend. I bet you I can get a boyfriend by the end of this month!"

"Deal!" Axel said, as he stood up and held out his hand. Larxene stood up and shook. As soon as she sat down, Axel started shouting, "Taking on bets! Will Larxene get a boyfriend by the end of the month! Start betting now, because the sooner the better!"

"Five dollars," Zexion said, as he looked up from his book.

"Forget that," Riku said. "Ten bucks that she won't get a boyfriend!"

"Twenty dollars!" Demyx yelled, as he flashed the money in front of Axel's face. Larxene glared at her younger brother. "Sorry, sis. But this is an easy forty bucks for me!" The rest of lunch continued on with Axel taking up bets from mostly the Destiny High kids. The Twilight High kids weren't as corrupt as them… Okay, Hayner and Roxas may have bet in ten bucks…

The rest of the day went by without much event. Roxas and Riku's next class was English and when they got there, Roxas nearly stopped at the door. It was Mr. Loire. "Uhm, Mr. Loire," Roxas said as he approached him. He was about five minutes early.

"Yes?" the teacher/principal asked.

"Where's Ms. Hartlen?" Roxas asked. "In fact, where are all the old teachers and principal? Every faculty member is new."

Mr. Loire's face darkened a bit, but it shrunk back as soon as it had appeared. "There was something that happened over summer. All the previous faculty members are gone now. But don't worry. Now go to you seat. Class is starting."

Roxas walked on over to his seat right next to Riku's. During class, he kept thinking about all the weird teachers. No previous faculty members? Every faculty member they had now was new… And Tifa? Roxas saw last saw her when he was like what? Seven years old maybe? Sora probably didn't recognize her though. He was a little goofy at times… Roxas kept thinking about these things as Mr. Loire kept talking on and on about the uses of punctuation. It seemed as if Mr. Loire loved to talk. And on occasion, he would accidentally drop the chalk. Roxas sighed. He only had one class left and he hoped it wouldn't be as weird.

When class was dismissed, Roxas and Riku walked to Gym in silence. When they arrived, there was, yet again, another new face. Well… Sort of…

"Well if it isn't Roxas!" the burly man yelled.

"Pardon?" Roxas asked. He didn't recognize the "new" gym teacher.

The man only laughed at his statement. "Oh, so you remember Tifa, but not me? Well, I guess so. Tifa is a little… unforgettable." Roxas only looked at him with more confusion clearly written on his face.

"It's me. Barret Wallace. Or as you used to call me, 'Uncle Barret.'"

"I used to call someone 'Uncle Barret!'"

"Wow, you're really null. Your little brother didn't recognize me either!" Roxas only nodded, as Barret looked at his watch and cursed. "Shoot! I was supposed to start class."

"All right everyone!" he yelled. His whole voice had suddenly become a lot sterner. "I want everyone to take 10 laps. When you're done, I want each of you to do 100 sit-ups and 50 push-ups!" He heard several groans from the students. "Enough groaning, start moving!" He then turned back to Roxas with a smile on his face. "Double for you, Roxas. Your scrawny like your brother."

"I'm not scrawny!" Roxas yelled.

"Then get going!" Roxas immediately ran off, trying to catch up with Riku. However, no matter how hard he ran, Roxas couldn't catch up to his partner who was running like it was nothing at all. Suddenly, two girls started to catch up to Riku until they were right next to him. It was Yuffie and Larxene.

Roxas watched as all three of them started to run even faster, racing each other to see who could finish first. Roxas saw Olette and Pence running together, and he joined them. "Where do they get all that energy?" Roxas asked as he got into their conversation.

"I don't know," Pence said, as he watched Yuffie start her 7th lap. They were all still on their 4th. "You think there's something weird about this year?"

"Aside from all the new teachers and the kids from Destiny High?" Olette asked.

"No, I mean exactly that."

"I was thinking about that in English," Roxas admitted. "Everything seems different this year…" The whistle blew as Barret yelled at all of them to catch up. Yuffie, Riku, and Larxene were already on their sit-ups. After they were done, they were all excused to go home, Barret saying it was a "warm-up for the real pain."

Roxas groaned as he walked out of the locker room. His body felt like it would collapse any second now. Riku walked up to him. "Hey slowpoke," he said as he laughed at Roxas' expression.

"It's not us," Roxas said. "It's you guys. Where did you learn to run like that?"

Riku shrugged. "You pick it up when you have to survive… C'mon, let's go over to your house."

"Why?" Roxas asked, as he stopped walking. "Isn't it a little _too_ early to be all buddy buddy with me?"

"Weren't you listening in English? We have to write some essay together."

"Oh," Roxas said, as he continued walking again. "My bad. I was a little out of it during English."

"No problem," Riku said as they started walking to Roxas' house. For some reason, Riku couldn't wait to see Roxas' younger brother, Sora.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you go. Sorry I have to post and leave, but at least I gave a chapter before. See ya, and yes, when I get back, I'll add a chapter to this and TFO. Promise!Please review!**


	3. Afternoon

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's me. Back from vacation! I just know you will all **_**love**_** to hear me talk about random meaningless events from my vacation instead of going to the fic. Oh… You wouldn't? Fine…**

**BTW, I reread my fic and realized that I messed up with the lining that separates my A/Ns. I'm sorry, I'll fix that so you can tell which is which now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them… Do I really have to tell you that?**

* * *

"I'm home!" Roxas yelled, as he opened the door. There was no response.

"Is anyone even here?" Riku asked.

Roxas just shrugged. "I don't know. Sora could be upstairs in our room, or he could be at someone else's house. Either way, let's head up to my room." They both walked up the stairs and opened the door to Roxas' room. Inside, Sora and Demyx were listening to the stereo with headphones on. Roxas walked up to the stereo and pulled the plug.

Sora looked at his older brother. "Why'd you do that? We were getting to the good part."

"Log off the computer," Roxas said. "Riku and I have to write an essay." Sora grumbled and reluctantly got up to log off his name. Roxas pushed him out of the seat and accessed his account.

"You know you could say excuse me," Sora said, as he got up while rubbing his back.

"That's for waking me up early," Roxas said, with a pencil in his hand. "Now go work somewhere else. Riku and I have to work on our essay." Sora sighed and took his stuff to the living room downstairs with Demyx.

"Hey, you think I should type first?" Riku asked, as Roxas accessed a word document. "You looked pretty tired. You wanna rest first or something?"

Roxas yawned. "Actually, a nap would be good. My head is started to hurt a little…" Roxas got up and climbed the ladder that was attached to their bunk bed. Of course, Roxas had the top. He was older, after all. Roxas sunk into his sheets and closed his eyes. His head felt like it was burning, and he really needed the relief of sleep…

Roxas opened his eyes to see Riku typing away at the computer. "Erh, how long have I been asleep?" Roxas asked. He looked at the alarm clock and saw that it said 5:30. "Oh shit! I've been asleep for two hours! Why didn't you wake me?"

Riku kept typing, not bothering to turn to him. "I thought it would be better if you slept. Besides, I finished the essay." He pressed the print button and watched as the pages of the essay started coming out.

"You wrote all that in two hours?" Roxas asked. "Wow, what were we supposed to write it about?"

"We were supposed to write an essay about machine guns," Riku explained. "Anything about them. Their history, usage, things like that. And don't worry. You can make it up to me for another assignment later."

"Thanks," Roxas nodded, as he stared at the ceiling again. They both sat there in silence, waiting for the machine to finish printing. When it was done, there was still more silence. Silence… "Wanna go downstairs and eat something?" Roxas suddenly asked.

Riku nodded. He took the essay, stapled it, and put it into his backpack. They both left the room, and headed straight for the kitchen. Sora and Demyx were both in front of the refrigerator.

"Get out of the fridge you pigs!" Roxas yelled. Both Sora and Demyx turned to Roxas.

"Hey, I like to go to the food," Sora replied. He grabbed another piece of watermelon and sat down on the counter eating it.

"So, you done with the essay?" Demyx asked, as he munched on his apple. Riku nodded. He took out slices of cheese and ham from the fridge. Roxas reached for the bread and set out four slices. Roxas started spreading jelly and peanut butter on his while Riku started positioning the ham and cheese. They both finished their sandwiches and started munching on it.

"You both act like machines," Sora said, noticing both of their identical movements. "That's just scary…"

"Whatever," Roxas mumbled. He looked out the window, and suddenly flinched as he noticed the sun. "Oh shit! What time is it?"

"It's like 5:45," Demyx said. "Why?"

"Crap! I just remembered that I promised to meet the others at the Usual Spot at four. Damn… We gotta go now, Riku." Roxas pulled Riku along out the door. "I should be back by seven!" Roxas yelled back to Sora.

"Why do I have to come?" Riku asked, as they started running through the town.

"Because I am technically responsible for you," Roxas said, finishing his sandwich. He turned towards the sandlot, and ran on down. But he suddenly stopped there. Riku stopped right next to him, and saw what was happening in the field.

Hayner was keeled over at an older guy's feet. Hayner had a blue bat in hand, and so did the other boy. He couldn't have been more than a year older than everyone else. Pence and Olette were with two other people, another boy and a girl, and they were all watching Hayner and the other guy.

"You lose again," the guy said. "Just face it. You chicken-wusses will never beat me."

"Yea," the other guy agreed. "Seifer's tight y'know. He can beat you and Roxas combined."

"Easy victory," the girl next to him said.

"Just leave him alone, Seifer," Olette said. "We've had enough of you guys."

"Yea," Pence agreed. "All we were doing was passing by to get some ice cream for our friends. I don't know why you had to start fighting."

"Seifer's always looking for a fight y'know," the guy said. "He doesn't need to follow other's rules. He can start a fight with anyone and at anytime."

"Zip it Rai," Seifer said. He looked down at Hayner and kicked him in the side. This time, Roxas and Riku stepped forward.

"Stop it Seifer!" Roxas yelled. "They weren't doing anything! Just leave Hayner alone!"

"Fine then," Seifer said, moving on. "You wanna take me on?" He grabbed Hayner's bat and tossed it to Roxas. Riku caught it in midair.

"_I'll_ take you on," he said, getting into a fighting stance.

"Who're you?" Seifer asked. "Some loser that just joined in with the rest of these. We don't take too kindly to newcomers. And the Disciplinary Committee will teach you that."

"Try me," Riku said. Seifer rushed forward, attempting to tackle Riku. Riku used his bat and knocked Seifer's aside. He spun around Seifer, and kicked him to the ground. He held his bat to Seifer. "Looks like I win."

"Whoa," Pence said, as Roxas joined them in helping up Hayner. "Did you see that? He defeated Seifer in less than three moves." The other guy and girl took this as their moment to jump in.

"Seifer's just not feeling so hot," Rai said. "He has a lot of stuff on his mind y'know. School is really hard on him."

"Tired!" the girl declared. They both helped Seifer up.

"You," Seifer said, pointing to Riku, while his other arm was slung over Rai's shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Riku," he responded.

"I'll get you next time. Rai, Fuu, let's go." All three of them left the sandlot together.

"That was amazing Riku," Roxas said, as he walked up to him.

"Yea, it was nothing," Riku said. "Uh, I think this is yours." He handed the bat back to Hayner.

"Thanks," Hayner said, with a little too quietly for his character. Riku could've sworn he saw Hayner's face soften. But the look disappeared as soon as it had come across his face. "But I could've taken Seifer on myself! He just got lucky!"

"Again," Pence whispered into Olette's ear.

"Whatever," Hayner said, as he put the bat down on the stands. "We always leave the bats here. Now c'mon. We're going to get some ice cream for them, right? I don't want Larxene to yell at me again."

Hayner hurried off to Market Street, and was followed quickly by Pence. Olette tapped Riku on the shoulder. "He really thanks you. It's just that he has a hard time expressing it. He's not used to others helping him. But thanks, anyways." Olette hurried off to catch up to the other two.

"Well, you certainly made three new enemies," Roxas said, as he and Riku started walked towards Market Street.

"Well you guys are my friends. I don't care how many enemies I have. I'll protect you guys."

"Thanks… C'mon. Let's catch up. Did I tell you that the ice cream here is delicious? We usually get sea salt ice cream. It's really good." Riku nodded as they both ran to catch up with Hayner and the others.

-Meanwhile-

"That's it! I don't know where the hell are they, but I'm going to find them! They don't just ditch us here to go find some lame ice cream shop!"

"Chill Larx. You don't have to go destroying their hangout just 'cuz they're a little late."

"Yea Larxene. Please calm down at least. I'm sure they'll be back any minu-"

"We're back!" Hayner yelled, as he walked in with his popsicle in his left and right hand. Pence and Olette followed shortly with popsicles in their left and right hands as well. They each gave one to their partners.

"Finally," Larxene said. "You know how long it took you?"

"Sorry," Olette apologized to her partner. "We were kinda detained…"

"And where the hell is that other kid?" Larxene complained. "Roxas and Riku right? Man, I'm so gonna kill them when they get here, I swear I'l-"

"Ahem," Riku said, as he and Roxas walked in. "I wouldn't get so eager Larx. Especially since we're already here. Wanna take it outside?"

Larxene only looked away and mumbled something that sounded like, "Bastard."

"Roxas," Pence said, taking his attention away from Larxene. "You already know Hayner's partner Marluxia. Mine is Yuffie, and Olette's is Larxene."

Roxas nodded. They all just sat there eating their ice cream until Roxas suddenly thought of something. "By the way, Yuffie?" Roxas asked.

"Yea?" she responded.

"How come you look older than the rest of us? You look like you should be in senior year or maybe should've graduated by now."

"Well I skipped a grade when I was young. Then I was held back for two years. I guess I plan to move on this year."

"Are your parents mad about it?" Pence asked, while licking his ice cream. Yuffie shook her head.

"Nah. They already know that I will do great things. They don't really worry too much about my school issues, but they do want me to graduate in this class."

"Wow," Roxas sighed. "I wish my mom was that understanding. She's always comparing Sora and me to our older brother."

"What's your older brother's name?" Yuffie asked, with sudden interest.

"Cloud. Cloud Strife," Roxas told her. "He goes to some fancy college or something. My mom wants me Sora and I to go there instead of to Sunset University."

"What's the college called?" Marluxia asked.

"I don't know," Roxas said, with a hint of frustration. "Balamb something… I think it was call Balamb Garden…"

"Never heard of it," Marluxia admitted.

"I have," Yuffie said, as if they were talking about it so normally. She suddenly held her hands to her mouth. Everyone looked at her strangely. "I mean, I have friends that go there. But we haven't been in touch for a while." Yuffie started to laugh nervously.

"So what does your brother do?" Olette asked, still persisting on the topic.

"He's always so vague about it," Roxas said, remembering his family always asking Cloud what he did. "He always said that he helps people's lives. My mom thinks he's a doctor. I'm not so sure, though."

"How the hell did we even start to talk about dumb colleges and Roxas' dumb brother? I don't give a damn! I'm leaving. See ya at school tomorrow, Olette." Larxene walked out of the curtain door, while flipping Riku off.

"She's pretty… unique," Roxas said, as he watched Larxene leave.

"That's Larx for ya," Marluxia said. "Always hot-tempered and even a little pissy. But she does have a softer side. She just thinks showing it is weak, that's all."

"You seem to know a lot about her," Hayner said. "What are ya, her boyfriend?"

Marluxia shook her head. "We were childhood friends. She still the same as before, but she probably trusts me more than she would trust any of you."

Roxas just shrugged it off and tuned out everyone talking. They all just sat there, finishing their ice cream, and when they did, they kept talking. 'And it's only the first day,' Roxas thought. Suddenly something clicked in his mind. "Oh shit! What time is it!?"

Olette looked at her watch. "Now that you mention, it is pretty late. It's 6:45."

"Crap! I gotta get home in 15 minutes!" He pulled up Riku. "See ya guys! Tomorrow again!" He started running with Riku back to his house.

"But-" Riku protested, but was sharply cut off by Roxas.

"No time! Dinner's soon, and my mom gets really man when one of us is out without telling her." They both kept running until Roxas dashed into his house through the kitchen door.

"My word, Roxas," his mom said, a bit startled. "Don't scare me like that. Especially by running into the kitchen. Anyways, wash your hands and help me set up the table for dinner. We're having pasta." Roxas nodded and washed his hands. He started to grab plates when his mother began talking again. "And don't worry about your little friend. Sora told me all about it. He can stay for dinner as well."

Riku nodded. "Thank you ma'am."

"Oh you are very welcome. But could you go upstairs and tell Sora that dinner is ready." Riku nodded and walked upstairs to his room.

When Sora came down with Demyx, he took a whiff of the food. "Smells delicious mom. Thanks." They all sat down and all took their servings, Demyx and Riku getting theirs first. Mrs. Strife seemed to like watching the boys eat. She watched how they all seemed alike in eating. Roxas and Riku ate their noodles very well coordinated. Unlike Demyx and Sora who just wolfed their food down like it was a race.

"So," Mrs. Strife said, the only voice heard throughout dinner. "Tell me about yourselves."

"My name is Riku Utada ma'am," Riku said.

Demyx stopped the slurping of his pasta. There was a bit of the marinara sauce on his mouth, which he proceeded to wipe off before talking. "I am Demyx Lexite. It is a pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Mrs. Strife smiled to herself. "My, how polite. Or at least more polite than Sora anyways." Everyone smirked at Sora's expression.

"I am too polite," Sora whined. The rest of dinner continued with everyone laughing, telling jokes, and complaining about the homework that was given on the first day of school.

After dinner, Demyx and Riku packed up their things. "It was a nice dinner, Mrs. Strife," Riku said, as he stood by the door. "Thank you for allowing us to stay."

Mrs. Strife only smiled. "It's great to have guests. And please, don't act so politely. I'm not really used to being treated like that. Especially by my boys."

"Hey!" Roxas and Sora shouted in unison. They all waved Riku and Demyx goodbye as they each left for their own homes.

"I really liked that Riku boy," Mrs. Strife said, as she closed the door. "He's so nice. I wonder what his parents are like."

Roxas and Sora only shrugged as they thanked their mom for dinner and headed back up to their room.

* * *

The phone started to ring. A young woman walked up to it. "Hello," she said into it. Her voice was clear and melodic.

"Cid not there?" the voice on the other line said. It was tinged with a sort of hyperness. It was definitely Yuffie's.

"No," the other voice replied. "He's busy with the others right now. How did the first day go?"

"It was a success. Everything went according to plan. Laguna, Kiros, and Ward gave us _way_ too much homework though. And Barret is pushing us _way_ too hard. Well, he pushed everyone too hard. It was cake for me and two of my friends though. I swear, Riku probably works out too much and Larxene must have been fueled on anger or something."

"That's nice, I guess. Do they suspect anything?"

"Everyone's always suspecting something. But the girls seem to be crushing on Laguna, so they don't seem to notice. Are you sure he should've been principal and a teacher?"

"Positive. He may be clumsy, but Ellone has the utmost faith in him. And she usually is right in these things."

"Yea, whatever. There are a few problems though…"

"What?"

"I almost slipped up and told them about Balamb Garden…"

"Yuffie! You didn't! Did you?"

"No, I quickly covered it. Though they might be suspicious. Cloud is really good at hiding it to his family. I don't know how he does it."

"What do you mean how he does it? You're a spy! You should be better at it than him."

"Yea, well…"

"What's the other thing?"

"The history teacher isn't there."

"What? What do you mean? He should've been the only person that was actually normal. That way, everything would've been balanced out."

"Yea, but it's some guy named Sephiroth Shinra."

"…Yuffie?"

"Yea?"

"Did you say Sephiroth Shinra?"

"Yea why?"

"He's a legendary mercenary that was once… Cloud's boyfriend…"

"No!"

"…Yes… Cloud left him and left for Balamb… We have heard that he work's for Galbadia now…"

"Are you serious! Is that why Cloud is always like that? And… Did you say he works for Galbadia!? Oh crap! What do we do?" Yuffie's voice sounded really panicked now.

"Be calm, Yuffie. They shouldn't launch an invasion on the first day of school. I'll alert Cid, and we'll think of something. Meanwhile, I want you to inform Laguna and the others about this info. Protect your friends with your life." The life part was really stressed.

"Yes ma'am!"

"And Yuffie."

"Yea?"

"When you tell Tifa about this. Leave out the part of Sephiroth being Cloud's former boyfriend."

"Ok. Well, I gotta finish the damn homework that Ward assigned me. Can you say hi to Vincent for me?"

"Sure thing. But remember. And if Galbadia launches an invasion, alert us immediately."

"Roger that Aerith! Over and out!" The line disconnected. The woman sighed as she put the phone back into its place. The elevator dinged, and three people walked in.

Aerith looked up. "Oh, just the people I wanted to see. Ellone, Vincent, Cid… We have _a lot_ of things going on in Twilight Town."

* * *

**A/N: Well, hoped you liked it. I know… Suspense! I actually like this chapter. And just to tell you, I plan to make a sequel for this. The sequel will have **_**way**_** more adventure in it. Thank you for reading and please review!**


	4. Morning Blues and a Taste of Love

**A/N: Well, here I am… Still too sleepy to say much right now… How about I just get onto the fic? Anyways, enjoy and please review… please? I want more…**

**Disclaimer: Yea… Still not owning them…**

* * *

Roxas actually woke up the next day. It never actually took very long for Roxas to sink back into his normal schedule. He got out of the top bunk and climbed down the ladder. He could hear Sora slightly snoring from the bottom bunk. 'And he was so excited about school yesterday…' Roxas thought as he gathered his clothes and went to the bathroom.

About 45 minutes later, Roxas walked out of the bathroom, hair normal, teeth brushed, clothes changed, and everything ready. Now he only needed to eat breakfast. He walked back to his room and saw that Sora was still sleeping. Roxas smirked to himself as he pulled the sheets away from Sora.

"Ah!" Sora yelled, as he opened his bright eyes. "Give me back the sheets Roxas! It's so cold!"

"Who was excited about getting to school just yesterday?" Roxas asked, as he threw the sheets back.

"That was the first day," Sora grumbled, as he covered his head with the blankets once again. "They practically expect you to be late on the second day. No one ever goes on time… Besides, you wake up at like six in the morning. School starts in a hour and a half."

"Who cares," Roxas said, with satisfaction at being able to torture his little brother. "You can go wake up your girlfriend. Maybe her mom forgot it was school again."

"She's always so forgetful," Sora admitted. He threw the covers over his head and grumbled. "Fine, I'll get up." Sora grabbed his clothes and walked to the bathroom.

Roxas, not wanting to trouble his mom, started making breakfast himself. Of course, cooking from scratch is not easy. So, Roxas just settled with pouring some pancake mix into a bowl. After making the batter, Roxas made three stacks of pancakes, one for him, one for Sora, and another for his mom. By now, it had been another 45 minutes since Roxas woke Sora up.

Sora walked on down, looking a lot more awake, and smiled. "Thanks Roxas," he said, as he took the stack of pancakes that was caked in maple syrup with a stick of butter on the side.

"That one was mine," Roxas grumbled, as he started preparing another plate of pancakes. Their mom came down a few minutes later.

"Thanks, hun," she said to Roxas, as she took her plate of pancakes. They all sat down to eat, but were soon interrupted by the ring from the doorbell. Mrs. Strife got up to get it. Soon, her voice was heard, and her tone showed that she was happy. "Oh boys! Look who came to visit us?"

"Is Cloud home?" Sora asked, with sudden happiness. "He always brings gifts when he comes home. Is he home, mom?" Instead, Riku and Demyx walked into the kitchen. Sora couldn't really hide his disappointment. "Oh… Just our friends…"

"I feel kinda hurt now," Demyx said, as he held his chest, smiling. "We come to visit you, and you want gifts? Well, I have my sitar, but it's mine only. Not for you," Demyx said, as he stuck his tongue out at Sora.

"What's a sitar?" Sora asked, as he stuck his tongue back at Demyx.

Riku shrugged, obviously not knowing. Demyx pulled the case behind his back, and pulled out a stringed instrument that looked a lot like a guitar. It was blue and the designs on it made it look like water. "It's like a guitar. Only better. I had it personally modified. Do you think it looks nice?"

Sora nodded. "But why did you bring it?"

"We have music today," Demyx said. "I took a peek at our schedule when you weren't looking."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed, as he reached into his back pocket. He took a look at it. "Oh… How come I don't know these things?"

"Because your tiny brain doesn't allow you to memorize anything," Roxas said as he poked Sora in the forehead.

"My brains not that tiny!" Sora whined.

"Oh c'mon," Roxas said. "Even mom and Cloud agree."

Sora looked to his mom with sudden puppy dog eyes. His lips were formed into a pout, which made him so kissable. Or at least that's what Riku thought…

"You don't really think that, right mommy?" Sora said, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Sora was really dramatic. In fact, about two years ago, he learned how to cry on cue.

"Well," their mom started. "You are a bit hardheaded."

Sora then started to cry. "Wah! Mom hates me. My brothers hate me. I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to run away and join the circus. That way, I can do carnie stuff while I cry for my family. WAH!!"

Demyx and Riku both looked shocked. Riku ran to him and hugged him, while Demyx cooed over him, telling him he was the smartest person he ever met. Roxas and Mrs. Strife only sat in their chairs, watching them with smirks on their faces. Suddenly, Sora stopped crying and looked and both Riku and Demyx, his face and eyes a little red.

"It's okay," Sora said with a smile. "It was convincing though." Both Demyx and Riku stared at him like they had just been punk'd (lol).

"That was very convincing, sweetie," Mrs. Strife said.

Roxas, however, only shrugged. "You didn't stammer when you were ranting about running away. Stammering is what makes it believable."

"Well I didn't need to," Sora said, with a wide grin. Sora _loved_ tricking people by crying in front of them. _THIS_ is why he has an A in drama.

"B-b-but…" Demyx stammered. Riku was only speechless, still holding onto Sora.

"Uh, Riku?" Sora asked. "Could you let go of me?" Riku didn't respond.

"Uh oh," Roxas said. "Sora, you froze my partner… You better fix him, 'cause we have an essay to turn in."

Riku suddenly regained his voice. He latched himself off of Sora and only said, "That was cruel and unusual…"

Sora giggled at this. It reminded him of when he did his act in front of Leon.

* * *

"_UWAH!! Cloud! Your boyfriends being mean to me!" Sora yelled, tears flying from his eyes. Cloud only glared at Leon._

"_B-b-but… I only hit him on the head! I didn't think it hurt that bad!" Leon said in defense._

"_Gotcha!" Sora exclaimed, as he immediately stopped crying and started laughing at Leon's expression. Leon watched Sora, mouth agape, and turned to Cloud. Cloud's features had relaxed, and even he was smiling slightly._

"_Oh…" Leon simply said. "You're so melodramatic, Sora."_

* * *

"That's scary," Demyx sighed, when they all had calmed down. "Are you really that good at drama?"

"Yup!" Sora replied. "I went to a drama camp when I was little. Roxas when to an art studio for a while."

"You draw?" Demyx asked with surprise.

"Lots," Sora, Roxas, and surprisingly, their mother replied all at the same time.

"Yea," Riku cut in. "He's really good. I saw him drawing a Nobody in art class yesterday."

"He does that all the time!" Sora said. "He likes to draw Nobodies and Heartless! He's even better than Naminé at drawing some things."

"I'm not that good," Roxas chided.

"What's a Heartless and a Nobody?" Demyx asked, obviously not knowing what his friends were talking about.

"It's a creature a made up," Roxas said. "Nobodies are whats left of a person when their hearts fade away. Heartlesses are what comes from the darkness of the heart. I made these creatures up, and Naminé and I like to draw what we think they look like."

"Oh," Demyx said, in understandment.

Suddenly, there was just silence. No one had anything to talk about. Just silence. Talking about creatures with no souls, or creatures that come from your soul tend to have that effect on you.

"Well," Mrs. Strife suddenly exclaimed, trying to break the silence. "It's getting late. For school, at least. Off you go, all of you. And make sure you stop by Mrs. Hikaru on the way there, Sora."

"Yea mom," Sora said, as the four of them took their bags and walked out of the house. They walked down the street, Demyx just mindlessly talking about his sitar, and Sora adding in a few comments occasionally. No one minded, however. When they reached the door, Roxas knocked on it.

Axel opened the door, and looked down. "Why is it isn't little Roxie," Axel said. "Come to give me something?" Axel then puckered his lips and moved his face in front of Roxas'. Roxas started to feel a blush creep up, but he slapped Axel's face.

"Give me a break," Roxas said. "I told you, I'm not interested."

"Ouch," Axel said as he held his cheek. "Feisty aren't ya? Well than, how do I make you interested, Roxie?"

"Well maybe you could stop calling me 'Roxie'," Roxas said. He didn't really like that nickname Axel gave him. Axel, however, shook his head.

"No. It fits you too much. Give me another way."

"Well maybe you could learn more about me," Roxas said, completely forgetting about the others.

"Well than," Axel said as he bent his face down, in front of Roxas'. "Tell me about yourself, Roxas."

"What makes you think I'd tell you know?" Roxas asked. Suddenly, there was an "ahem" from behind Roxas. They both looked at Riku trying to get their attention.

"If you wouldn't mind," Riku said, as he tapped his watch.

"Why'd you do that?" Demyx asked Riku. "I wanted to see how it ended. I wanted to see if Roxie would've given Axel a kiss." Roxas blushed at that statement. Was their conversation really leaning in that direction?

"I think I would've worn him down, Dem," Axel said, with a big grin. How could he act so casual about this? Roxas was a little angry about that.

"Axel dear," a voice called from behind him. "Who is that?"

"Just Sora, Roxas, and them," he replied back. Mrs. Hikaru stepped out from inside the house.

"It's nice to see you boys again. And who are those two?" she asked, as she gestured to the two boys behind Roxas and Sora.

"These are our partners," Sora explained. "Demyx and Riku."

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am," Riku said. Demyx just flashed Mrs. Hikaru one of those really bright smiles, which made her smile in return.

"I see," she said. "Well come on in. The girl's are getting ready for their morning. Please come in and make yourself at home." Mrs. Hikaru went back in, and was followed by Sora, Demyx, and Riku.

Roxas walked past Axel, but felt Axel tap him on his shoulder. Roxas turned around, but felt his cheek move right onto Axel's lips. Demyx and Riku looked back, and Roxas could see both of them smiling. Roxas froze for about a second until he found himself again. He then smacked Axel on the head.

"Oww," Axel whined, as he held his head. "What was that for?"

"For kissing me, without me letting you do it," Roxas grumbled.

Axel then smiled like Roxas hadn't hit him on the head. "AH HA!" he exclaimed. "So you admit it!"

"W-w-wait, what?" Roxas stammered nervously.

Demyx only laughed out loud and they both turned to him. When his laughter diminished to only giggles, he held out his hand to Riku.

"What?" Riku asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"C'mon," Demyx said, like he expected Riku to know it all. "You owe me five bucks. Roxas even admitted that it was a kiss."

"It was not!" Roxas yelled, embarrassed again. Riku groaned and handed Demyx five bucks. He was going to get poor. He only hoped that the month would end soon so he could get his money from Larxene's bet.

"Relax Roxie," Axel said, as he wrapped his arm around Roxas' waist. "You always have me."

Roxas pushed Axel away, and was about to say something, when Sora came to check on why they were taking so long. Roxas only followed Sora, but the other three stayed behind to chat.

"He doesn't look very interested," Demyx said to Axel.

"Are you kidding?" Riku asked. "He was so totally blushing when Axel kissed him on the cheek. And that was just on the cheek… By the way, can I have my five bucks back?"

Demyx shook his head and stuck his tongue out at him. "Guys, this is serious," Axel said. "He said, if I want to get closer to him, I'm going to have to learn more about him."

"Uhm, Axe. My partner is Sora," Demyx reminded him. "And Riku's is Roxas himself. I'm pretty sure we could find some things about him."

Axel smiled at his two best friends. "Thanks guys. You both rock."

"We try," they both said as they laughed, and started walking to the kitchen where the other's were.

Riku suddenly stopped. "No seriously, could I have my five dollars back?"

* * *

After a hasty goodbye to their mom, Kairi and Naminé ran out the door and greeted the boys that waited so politely for them. The walk to school was filled with jokes and laughter, but Axel noticed that Roxas seemed to steer away from the conversation, and brood to himself. 'I wonder what's got him so down,' Axel thought.

Roxas walked towards the edge of the street, wanting to get away from the laughter of his friends for a while. He stopped walking, and waited for them to move up a little, which they didn't notice. He started trailing them, but was suddenly surprised to hear someone behind him.

"Having fun?" the voice asked. Roxas knew that it was Axel.

"What do you want?" Roxas asked.

"I want to know why you're so down. People shouldn't be down. They should keep looking up at the sky, and hope a bird doesn't crap on them!" Roxas didn't seem amused.

Axel sighed and held his head. "Look. What I'm trying to say is, whatever that is bugging you, just forget about it. You could always worry about it later. So enjoy what you have now." Axel then held out his hand to Roxas. "Walk with me?"

It seemed like such a simple request. Roxas actually smiled and what Axel was talking about and nodded. He took Axel's hands, and they walked towards school together.

* * *

Roxas groaned as he let his head fall on the desk. He thought he was the unluckiest person in the world. Guess what he had for first period?

"Alright class," Mr. Shinra said, as he walked in. "I hope you all got some sleep last night," he said. Roxas thought he was talking to him. What was made it even worse was that Roxas only had this period with Riku. For some strange reason, he wanted Axel to have first period history again. But why? To suffer with him, was all Roxas could think up before Mr. Shinra started talking about the lesson plans. But a small part of Roxas. Wished that he had next period with Axel.

* * *

**A/N: Please review :D**


	5. Just a Day, Just an Ordinary Day

**A/N: Well look. Aren't I incredibly nice to have updated this next chapter extremely fast? Now you readers will have to do something for me evil smirk. Go apologize for the delay on TFO to the SasuNaru fans!**

**Disclaimer: What's the point… You know I don't own them… Who's willing to help me steal them?**

* * *

After enduring another history class, Roxas ran out the room, and inhaled deeply. "Must get oxygen to brain," he mumbled. Riku walked out, with an assignment in his hand. He gave one to Roxas.

"History isn't that tough," he said.

"Easy for you to say when you already had two years of experience," Roxas mumbled back. Riku just shrugged. He started walking off in another direction. "Hey," Roxas said, as he tried to catch up, "what's our next class? Seeing as how you have the schedule and all."

"We have Physics with Sora," Riku said. Roxas thought it was odd that Riku would just mention his brother. About five seconds later, Riku started to stammer. "I-I mean, we also have it with Axel." Roxas forgot everything after that. He couldn't tell if he was lucky or cursed.

Roxas and Riku got to the class and both saw Demyx and Sora already there. The teacher was wiping away something on the board from the previous class. "Hi Riku!" Sora practically screamed. Riku smiled at him. Riku sat next to Sora, and Roxas sat next to Riku. They sat there chatting until Kairi and Axel walked in. Axel seemed to be looking for friends, and when he saw Roxas, he smiled and sat down next to him. Roxas didn't really care, choosing to ignore him.

"What's the matter Roxas?" Axel asked, sounding just a little concerned. Roxas looked over at his face, and there really was concern all over his face.

"Why do you care?" Roxas asked.

Axel sighed. "You don't get it do you? I care about you Roxas. I hate to see you when you're mad or angry. Tell me what's bugging you, and I'll castrate it."

It was Roxas' time to sigh. "Don't bother yourself with me Axel. You being nicer is a little more bearable, but I don't think we can ever be anything more than friends. Thanks for the concern though." Roxas turned to the teacher who had just shown up. He was a stout man with a blue scarf-like bandana thing on his head. Either way, it covered his hair. He had a scar running down the length of his face, and he wore a white tanktop and army pants. 'This looks like trouble,' Roxas mentally thought.

However, the man didn't talk. Instead he wrote the name, "Ward Zabac" on the board. Under it he wrote "Mr. Zabac." The man pointed to the board.

'Who is this guy?' Roxas thought. 'Can't he talk? Either way, at least I know his name is Ward.'

After about five minutes, Ward erased his name and started writing out an assignment. His hand moved fluently with the chalk on the chalkboard, and the entire assignment was written out in under a minute. Everyone just watched as Ward sat down at his desk a preceded to look over his papers. He shot them all a glare, and they all immediately started working. No one dared to make a sound as the man sifted through the papers. As soon as the bell rang, they all left without even a goodbye or a wave from or to him.

"He was rather… intimidating," Riku said, as they exited the room.

"Nobody knows why he doesn't talk," Kairi said, as she shrugged her shoulders. "Although, I think Mr. Loire or Mr. Seagill might know."

"Yea," Demyx agreed. "If it was so silent in there. I just wanted to yell out or something. I'm not used to so much silence."

"Me neither," Sora said, as he sighed.

"Whatever," Axel admitted. "Time to get on to our next class. See you all later!" Everyone said their goodbyes, and Roxas followed Riku to their next class. English.

As Riku and Roxas walked into the English classroom, Riku threw the English paper on Mr. Loire's desk.

"Wait," Mr. Loire said as he looked up from the papers he was sifting through. Both Roxas and Riku turned back to him. "I wasn't expecting this for another week. Did you both really finish it in one day?" Mr. Loire was a bit suspicious when only Riku nodded, but he shrugged it off. "Fine. I suppose I can give you both extra credit for your first assignment. Thank you."

Roxas looked around and took a seat next to Pence. Riku decided to take a seat next to Yuffie. "So," Yuffie said, just loud enough for all four of them to hear. And just when Mr. Loire had gotten up and begun teaching. "How was history?"

"How did you know we had history?" Roxas asked. Riku seemed to groan at Yuffie's smirk.

"Because I am Yuffie Kisaragi! The greatest ninja ever!" she proclaimed loudly. Everyone stared at her, and even Mr. Loire seemed to groan.

"Yuffie," Mr. Loire said without thinking. "Represent yourself. They're watching you know."

"Who cares Laguna?" Yuffie shouted back. "Oh by the way. Aerith told me to tell you something important."

Laguna suddenly mouthed, "Shut up" which every student caught.

"Relax," Yuffie said cheerfully. "These people don't care. They don't even know her."

"Yuffie," Laguna said, dangerously. "Detention!"

Yuffie gasped. "No way! I'm so telling Cid about this!"

"Double detention!" Laguna yelled back. "Wanna make it triple?" Yuffie pouted, and sat back down quietly. "And see me after class as well."

"I'm so telling Ellone about this," Yuffie said out loud. Laguna just groaned, and everyone looked around confused. After class, everyone ran out the door for lunch, but Riku, Roxas, and Pence waited for the so called "greatest ninja ever."

"So Yuffie," Laguna said, as he talked to her privately. "What was it that Aerith told you? That was so important that you had to say it in front of the class?"

"Like I said, relax," Yuffie said. "No one cares about what we say or do."

"You'd be surprised," Laguna muttered. "Now what was it? Is it important enough to tell everyone else."

Yuffie nodded with rare seriousness. "You know that history teacher guy we hired?"

"The only one that wasn't supposed to be from Balamb Garden? Yea?"

"He never made it. That history teacher is General Sephiroth Shinra of Galbadia Garden."

"What? Are you sure? How do you know?"

"Aerith is positive. She knows him from erh… personal experiences…"

"What do we do?" Laguna asked as he looked down at his desk intensely.

"Aerith said to protect the kids with out lives. And to alert them if Galbadia attacks."

"Right," Laguna said. "One of them has got to be the Keyblade Master, right?"

Yuffie nodded. "Yup. Aerith and Ellone both confirmed that the Keyblade Master is still here. Now we just gotta make sure he doesn't die. Or get captured by Galbadia for that matter…"

Lagune nodded and thought for a while. "Are you prepared for battle at any time?"

Yuffie actually smiled this time and nodded. "Yup. Got my GF equipped. But my ninja tools are at home."

"Hmm," Laguna thought. "I really hope this mission ends soon. I wanna see Ellone and Squall again…"

Yuffie actually laughed this time, even though she was trying to keep serious. "C'mon. Just 'cause you're really like what? 44? Doesn't mean you have to act like they're your children. C'mon. Act you age."

This time it was Laguna's turn to smile. "Whatever. Go off to lunch. I'll alert the others about this when I get to the faculty room."

Yuffie nodded and was about to leave, but stopped in her tracks. "Wait. Do I still have to serve detention?"

Laguna looked at her puppy dog eyes and sighed. "No…"

Yuffie instantly brightened and hugged him. Then she walked out of the room to meet up with Pence and the others.

"Well?" Riku asked. "What did he say?"

"He says I don't have to serve detention, but I have to make up for it with an extra assignment," Yuffie explained. "Stupid teacher," she muttered with a bit of satisfaction.

"Well it was your fault," Pence admitted. "C'mon. Kairi's gonna be steamed when we show up late." They all ran to the lunchroom and saw everyone waiting for them at their conjoined tables. However, Roxas noticed Axel was actually ignoring him, choosing to talk to almost everyone… except him… This made him a little angry, sad, and relieved, all at the same time. He just didn't know why.

"So," Axel said to Larxene. "Found anyone cute yet? Or are you still picking out the candidates?"

"She's not gonna find one," Riku scoffed. "She can't get through talking with a boy without causing some kind of physical or emotional trauma to him. We're probably the only ones lucky enough to survive."

"I'll show you," Larxene said. "Get ready to say goodbye to your 10 bucks. I already have my eyes on someone."

"Who's the unlucky victim?" Yuffie asked. However, Larxene wouldn't tell. After lunch, Roxas followed Riku to their next class. They sat down in the math classroom and looked at the board. On the board was the name "Kiros Seagill" neatly inscribed. And behind the desk, sat another man with glasses. His head had an even amount of brown hair, pulled back by three braids in the back. When everyone had seated he put down the papers he was looking at, and took off his glasses.

"Hello class," he said in a very mild-mannered voice. "My name is Kiros Seagill, as you can see on the board. Please refer to me as Mr. Seagill. Now then, we shall now get started. He drew a triangle on the board. "Now, can anyone tell me the angles that would adjoin to this particular triangle."

Roxas pretty much zoned out there. If there was anything he hated, besides Axel, it was definitely math. He couldn't do math, if he was stuck looking at a triangle for two years. 'Another F,' he thought. 'No A in math this year… Who cares? Why does mom want me to be so much like Cloud? It's only Junior Year anyways…'

When the bell rang, Roxas lifted his head from the table he was drooling on. Apparently, Mr. Seagill didn't seem to care whether people fell asleep in his class. He just carried on with the lesson. He looked at Riku, who was just finishing up the last of his notes on the board.

"What happened?" Roxas asked, drowsily.

"You fell asleep," Riku said. "For two periods."

"Oh shit!" Roxas cursed. "Are you serious?" Riku nodded. Roxas looked around and saw some people packing up, and some already leaving. He saw Olette, Larxene, Pence, and Yuffie walk out of the room.

"Were you tired?" Riku asked, as he put away his notebook. Roxas shook his head.

"Math wasn't always my favorite subject. Sora could probably calculate better than me, and he's an idiot."

"You shouldn't be so mean to Sora," Riku said, without even realizing it. Roxas looked at him strangely, and he realized what he said. "I mean, you should treat him more brotherly." 'Nice one Riku…'

"I treat him brotherly," Roxas said, as he got up to leave the room. "I share a room with him. I made him breakfast. I'm also older. I'm plenty nice to him. It's just playful teasing with each other."

"Sure," Riku said, as they walked out of the school. "I guess I really have no reason to, but could I stick around for dinner?"

Roxas smirked at him. "Are you trying to steal my mother from under my nose?" And then he said something else a lot more quietly. "Or my brother?" Riku instantly blushed, and he could've swore his heart skipped a beat. "Geez, lighten up, Riku" Roxas said. "I was only joking."

Riku cursed himself for blushing so hard, but managed to say, "Yea sure, whatever." Roxas looked at him, confused, but kept walking.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little short. I have the next chapter all planned out, so it should be coming out very soon. Please Review! First Reviewer gets to apologize for the delay on TFO!**


	6. Boyfriend

**A/N: Ugh, I apologize for some of the faults I noticed in my writing. This is my first multi-chapter fic that I'm writing, so I'm sorry. I don't know if I'm going to rewrite it or leave it like that… I don't know…**

**Faults I pointed out**

**-I'm rushing things… It's like only the third day, and I'm already so much into the plot… Sorry to those who like long well written stories…**

**-I don't describe the characters enough. For that, I am sorry… Amateur writing over here! Forgive me for that?**

**BTW, Aren't you all lucky I got bored and decided to update fast?**

**Well, enough of that… Please enjoy the timeskips that will now ensue, as I want to draw this fic to an end ASAP so I can work on the sequel… Which will be A LOT better. Trust me :D**

**Disclaimer: I failed to steal them… Well, he gave me Saix, but I don't want him :P… I want Roxie! (pouts)**

* * *

It was already the end of September… The month that Larxene was supposed to get a boyfriend… But it's not all about her. Let's get back to the main character and how his day started…

Roxas rolled out of his bed. Another day of school… Thank god it was Thursday. The weekend would be coming soon. He looked at his clock and noticed it was pretty early to be waking up, even for him. He just shrugged it off and headed to the shower to wash the sleepiness off. After showering and changing, Roxas played around with his hair until it was less-than-Sora-spiky, but more-than-Cloud-spiky.

Roxas went back into his room and shook Sora awake. He moaned in his sleep. "Riku!" Sora moaned. Roxas found it quite interesting that Sora would moan his partner's name. He shook him again. "Stop it," Sora said, with a usual pout. This time, Roxas didn't know if he was referring to him or Riku. But he didn't really want to know, so he pulled the covers off of Sora.

"Wah!" Sora exclaimed, as he opened his eyes from the sudden temperature spike.

"Morning brother dear," Roxas said to Sora. "How was your nap?"

"It was good," Sora said as he smiled. But he looked slightly confused at Roxas' slightly evil smirk.

"Really now?" Roxas mused. "Because I think I heard you moan out the name 'Riku' when I tried to wake you up."

Sora didn't realize it, but he started to blush crimson. "W-w-what are you talking about?

"Nothing," Roxas said. "Now get ready for school."

Sora tried to calm himself down by looking at anything else. "Geez Roxas. Isn't it a little too early?" Roxas only shook his head and left the room.

Half an hour later, Sora walked down the stairs with the usual bounce in his gait. He turned to Demyx and Riku who had just arrived. "Ready to leave?" he said with a big smile. They all nodded, and left for school. After picking up Kairi and Naminé, and almost being molested by Axel (which definitely made him even moodier) Roxas and all his friends finally arrived at Twilight High. Axel had been teasing Roxas all the way to school, and right now, he looked like he was ready to kill Axel by just looking at him. They each split into their individual classes.

* * *

And now I shall skip to lunch. Wait… You want me to talk about Roxas' day? You wouldn't want that… It's boring… I don't want you falling asleep… Anyways, where was I…

* * *

Riku walked to their table, humming a small melody. He was especially happy, 'cause today, he was going to get his money from Axel. He had bet 30 dollars that Larxene wouldn't be able to get a boyfriend. It wasn't that bad. Demyx had bet 35, and he was Larxene's sister. Riku still couldn't believe the redhead though. The redhead actually believed that he wouldn't have to pay up? Or was he just that bad at math?

Riku sat down with his lunch, and was followed by Roxas, who looked as if he was ready to explode. Riku didn't blame him. First of all, Mr. Shinra assigned a huge project due next week. Mr. Zabac had been incredibly silent, but Riku had noticed Axel kept doing things to Roxas, like brushing his hand against Roxas, or just plain staring at him. And finally in English, Mr. Loire had also assigned some creative writing assignment. Riku recently learned that Roxas hated writing. He could draw creatively. That's about it, though…

They all sat there, waiting for the presence of their late friend to show up. And on cue, Larxene walked into the door with a smirk on her face.

"Well then," Riku said, as Larxene sat down. "What's with the smirk?"

"Because my boyfriend is coming in right now," Larxene said proudly. Everyone stared at the door, and watched a familiar figure come in. Everyone stared at him, mouths wide open, as he took a seat next to Larxene.

"Hey all," Marluxia said casually.

"No way," Axel said, rubbing his eyes. "Flower boy is your boyfriend?"

"He's probably just doing it to be nice to you," Riku said. "If you really are boyfriend and girlfriend, show us some proof."

"Ok," Marluxia said, before pulling Larxene into a kiss. The kiss wasn't very long, but when their lips parted, everyone kept staring at them.

"It's official," Axel said very quietly, as if saying anything too loudly would activate a bomb. "Anyone that can kiss her without barfing has gotta be her boyfriend."

"Piss off," Larxene said. Suddenly, she felt something pulling her arm. She looked over at her younger brother.

"Say it isn't so!" Demyx practically whined. "You're with that freak?"

"Hey!" Marluxia protested. Suddenly, they all heard a book drop. They all turned over to Zexion and saw him staring at Marluxia and Larxene. Apparently, he found reading was better than watching the kiss, but he still looked up to see what his blond-haired musician companion was whining about. Lucky him…

"Oh Zexy," Demyx said, as Zexion snapped back into reality. "You dropped your book." Demyx reached his arm down to get it, but felt fingers on the smooth paper covering of the book. Demyx uttered an "Eep!" and pulled his fingers away. Zexion looked at him confused, but didn't respond as he took up his book. For some reason, Demyx felt bolts of lighting coursing through his entire arm.

Suddenly, Axel broke the silence with a cheer. "I knew you could do it Larx!" Axel yelled. He held up the huge was of money he got from the various bets. "That way, I get off with all this money."

"You better share some of that," Larxene said.

Axel stuck his tongue out at her. "No way. I have other plans for this." He got out of his seat and went behind Roxas, who didn't notice, for he was still staring at Larxene and Marluxia. Axel bent down until he could whisper into his ear. "Hey Roxie," he said seductively, startling Roxas. "How about we go out to dinner Friday night? My treat."

For some reason, when Axel asked him out, Roxas just felt himself explode. He pushed Axel away and got up. He was still fairly shorter than Axel, but that didn't stop him. "Fuck off!" Roxas exclaimed, earning a gasp from his closer friends. "Right now, I am in no mood for you. You just keep coming back, when I clearly tell you 'I'm not interested!' What will it take you to listen? I don't want you in my life Axel! Go away!" Everyone, even the newest couple, stared at Roxas in shock. Axel was the most shocked of all.

"Fine," Axel said, in a cold and emotionless voice. "I see how it is Roxas. I won't promise that I won't go away though." And with that, Axel walked out of the back into the school.

"Dude, that was pretty harsh man," Hayner said.

"You didn't have to be so mean Roxas," Sora told him.

Roxas closed his eyes. He just wanted everyone to shut up, and go away.

"Roxas!"

"Roxas!"

'Roxas… Roxas… Why must that voice mock me?' Roxas thought. As if acting by itself, Roxas started falling back. And landed on the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Axel sat alone in the empty music room. He felt really bad right now. Why did Roxas snap at him? Did he really show no interest? Roxas was just sending out too many mixed signals…

"Uhm, Axel?" a soft voice asked. Axel turned around and saw Naminé's pale figure.

"Oh, hey Naminé," Axel said in the same emotionless voice. Naminé walked up to Axel and sat down next to him.

"Look," Naminé said. "Roxas didn't mean all of those things. He just has had too many things. Maybe you should let him rest over the weekend…"

"Yea… I think I should…" Axel replied. After that, there was no more talk. Five minutes of silence… Ten minutes of silence… Suddenly, Naminé spoke up.

"Uhm, Axel?" she asked again.

"Yea," Axel said.

"Do you need a hug?"

For some reason, part of Axel wanted to start laughing like that was a crazy suggestion. The other part felt like he really needed it. Axel felt himself falling into Naminé's arms, and he put his head onto her small shoulders. He didn't cry though. He couldn't cry… not in front of Naminé. Naminé held Axel and rubbed circles on his back. They stayed like that until the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

* * *

Zexion walked off to his next class. Music. Mrs. Lockhart obviously arranged the good musicians to all have the same class period. Because after lunch, Zexion had music with Naminé, Kairi, Axel, Sora, and Demyx. Sora, Axel, and even he couldn't play an instrument, but Mrs. Lockhart wanted Kairi, Naminé, and Demyx together. Zexion walked into the room, and was surprised to see Axel and Naminé already there. However, Zexion shrugged it off and sat down next to Naminé.

"How's Roxas?" Naminé asked, concern evident in her voice.

"He fainted," Zexion stated. Naminé had a look of shock all over her face. "Uhm, but he was taken home by Riku." Naminé didn't seem to be any less worried, so Zexion quickly changed the subject. "How's Axel?"

Naminé sighed. "He's okay. I think I know why he goes after Roxas… He's lonely…"

Zexion sighed, as well. 'At least somebody has brains here,' he thought. Suddenly, he had an idea. "By the way, Naminé," Zexion said.

"Hmm?" Naminé wondered, as she looked away from the depressing form of Axel next to her.

"How much do you know of Roxas?"

"Me and Roxas have been good friends since we were little. I was always closer to him and Sora was always closer to Kairi."

"I see," Zexion said. "Now, what is Roxas' favorite thing?"

Naminé was a bit taken aback by the sudden question. "What do you mean?" she asked, a bit puzzled.

"I mean, like what is Roxas' favorite food or candy or whatever."

Naminé thought about her answer. "Well, it may be a little cliché, but Roxas really likes…"

* * *

"You got it Demyx?" Zexion asked his friend. Demyx nodded. "Make sure you tell Riku. And make a plan to get those two together." Demyx nodded again, and went back to playing the sitar. Zexion sighed and looked at his redhead friend who was currently just staring at a music sheet. "I don't even know why I'm helping you," Zexion muttered. "After taking my five dollars… I guess it's true love." For a small moment, Zexion let a smile grace his features. And he thought no one saw it. No one except Demyx…

* * *

**A/N: Yea, I know this was a little short too. But I had to make it short, to leave you all with a cliffhanger. Please review, and again, the next chapter will probably come out fast, but be a little short.**


	7. Ellone

**A/N: Hello everyone! Loves to all who reviewed… Okay, I think like only one person did, but Loves to Plain Jane is a Vampire for sticking with me! Seriously, she won't go away! JK, love you Jane, because you're always like the first one to notice me update. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter. Again, sorry for the delay, but my school is getting a lot more hectic since the year is coming to an end… Wah, more work…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything… sad...**

* * *

'_Where… Am I?' _Roxas wondered. He didn't say it out loud though.All he could see was darkness. And no one ever knows what's lurking in the darkness. _'Wait…' _he thought._ 'I wanted to faint… Did I actually faint? What happened? Oh yeah… I snapped at Axel…'_

"_And that was your mistake," _a voice suddenly said. It was a nice warm voice. Kind, gentle, and feminine. It reminded him of his mother.

"_Who is that?"_ Roxas thought, although he could hear him saying it out loud.

"_I am… your guardian…"_

"_I have a guardian?"_

"_The term 'guardian' may be a bit blunt, but yes, something like that."_

"_So, why am I hearing you?" _Roxas asked his so called 'guardian.'

"_I'm here to show you something," _the voice explained. Suddenly, light appeared in front of Roxas. He could also hear music. It was the sound of two pianos and something like a guitar in the background.

"_Where am I?" _Roxas asked. All he could see was the white floor tiles of the music/drama room. _"I thought I was at home, sleeping."_

"_You are," _the voice said, once again, _"but at the same time, you are here."_

"_What?" _Roxas asked, but the voice never got a chance to answer.

"Axel," a voice called out. It was Kairi. Roxas looked up at her.

"_Wait, what?" _Roxas subconsciously said. _"Did Kairi just call me Axel?"_ Roxas tried to say something, but someone else beat him to it.

"Yea," Roxas heard himself say.

"_What the hell is this?"_

"You look a bit pale," Kairi said. "You think you should see the nurse or something." Roxas felt himself shaking his head.

"No thanks Kairi," Roxas heard. Only this time, he listened more closely. It sounded like Axel's dull and melancholy voice.

"Still mad 'bout that whole Roxas thing aren't ya?" Kairi asked, as she sat down next to him.

"_Okay, this is just freaky… Guardian! What's happening?"_ And yet still, the voice didn't respond.

"I'm not just mad Kairi," Axel said. "I think I love him… But he hates my guts…"

"_Oh my god! He loves me?"_

Kairi sighed and put a hand to his shoulder. Roxas also felt it as well. "Everything will be okay with you two. I promise."

Axel sighed. "Kairi," he said, as he stood up. "I wanna walk home alone tonight. I'm sorry."

Kairi just nodded and heard Mrs. Lockhart call her name. Her break was over. She had to get back to the piano with Naminé. Axel just sighed and watched Kairi sit down next to Naminé and start to play their piece together. Demyx was adding in a few chords, and Sora was talking to Zexion. Sora was just like Demyx. He didn't mind if Zexion wasn't listening, which he wasn't, but instead, he would keep on talking.

Axel sighed and got up. He walked to the room door and looked back at everyone in the class. "See you guys. Enjoy your happy lives…" Axel started walking through the hallway, and out of Twilight High.

"_Axel…"_

"_Now do you see your mistake?"_ the voice rung in. By now, the image of Axel walking out of Twilight High had dissipated. Now, it was just the endless darkness again.

"_Guardian… I want to make things right… Please, tell me what to do."_

"_I can not tell you that. You must find out on your own."_

"_Oh… Well, can you tell me this? What will happen to Axel? Will he come back tomorrow?"_

"_He might… He might not… I can access people's dreams, visions, and memories. But I can not predict the future…"_

"_Oh… And, it's getting pretty weird calling you 'Guardian.' Do you have a name I can call you?"_ Roxas could've sworn he heard a faint giggle.

"_He is right. You do hate complicated things. You'd prefer to have it simple and know everything?"_

"_He? Who is he?"_

"_Pay it no mind… You may call me… Ellone."_

"_Ellone… That's a beautiful name…"  
_

"_Why thank you Roxas."_

"_Ellone… Are you a real person?"_

"_Yes… Yes I am."_

"_The how do you know me? I've never met an Ellone in my life."_

"_Nor have I ever met a Roxas. But I just know you're out there, and your heart is calling for help."_

"_My... heart?"  
_

"_Roxas… We can not talk about these things right now… How about I show you what Axel is doing?" _Without even waiting for a response, Roxas saw the darkness disappear, and he started seeing through Axel's eyes again. It was the sunset of Twilight Town. Well of course, it always looked like a sunset around the afternoon. But they were extremely high. Such a height could only be reached by… the clock tower! They were on the clock tower!

"_What is he doing here?" _Roxas heard himself say. He could also hear his voice tinged with a bit of anger. _"This clock tower is practically sacred to Hayner, Pence, Olette, and me. What's he doing up here?"_

"_Interesting," Ellone's voice rang in. "Your other close friends? Tell me, what is it exactly that you do up here?"_

"_We just hang out and stuff. We eat sea salt ice cream, but that's about it."_

"_Have you ever been up here alone?"_

"_Well, yea. Whenever I felt down or lonely. This view always made me feel better."_

"_Now tell me, how do you think Axel is feeling right now?"_

"… _You're right…"_

Suddenly, Axel started to mumble something. For once, Roxas noticed that Axel had a melted sea salt ice cream bar in his hands. "What am I even doing up here?" Axel muttered. "Am I lonely? Do I miss Roxas? But he doesn't want me… It would be so easy to just fall off here and die… Make my troubles over with…"

"_Oh my god! He's going to kill himself?"_ But as per usual, Ellone did not respond.

Suddenly, Roxas heard whimpering. Axel had his head down, and his hair covered what you could see of his face. But Roxas felt it. He felt Axel crying. Streams of tears leaked out of Axel's eyes as he started to wipe it away. But he couldn't stop. Roxas felt himself crying as well. He heard Axel start to mutter something.

"R-r-reno… D-dad…" Axel said through his tears. "I miss you both…"

Roxas, by now, couldn't stop the flow of his own tears. He tried wiping them away, but it didn't work. The feeling of Axel's tears disappeared as Roxas felt himself in the void again.

"_Ellone…" _Roxas said, through his own tears.

"_I'm sorry for that Roxas… I'm sorry you had to see that…"_

"_It's okay… It's not your fault…"_

"_Roxas… My time with you is growing short. I don't know when we will be able to just talk with each other… But know that I will always be watching you. Please, look into your heart and find your feelings… Good night, Roxas." _

Roxas felt the presence of Ellone leaving, and he opened his eyes, as he sat up. He felt something wet on his cheeks, and found out that it was his own tears. He looked around, and saw that the room was dark. He eyed the alarm clock by the bed, and the readout said 1:37 AM. Roxas sighed and fell back onto his pillows. Screw his wrinkled clothes. Screw his homework. He just wanted to rest.

"Going to sleep," Roxas started muttering to himself. "When you wake up… Everything will be better…" Roxas closed his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was short. I don't know when the next chapter will come out, but I'll try to make it fast. Again, sorry for the constant delays, and thank you for baring with me!**


	8. Chocolate Pocky

**A/N: Yay! We hit 1000 hits! Or that's just the first time I actually noticed it… And we only have 12 reviews… C'mon guys, work with me! I want reviews!! I'm sad now… (Roxas pout)**

**Another BTW, I am REALLY sorry for the humongous delay. I was gone for like 2 weeks… So sorry, because I'm having HW difficulties. I have to do some extra credit work to bring back my grades up. So updates will be more or less frequent. Sorry…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own Pocky. I just own those boxes I keep under my bed :D**

* * *

Roxas peeled his eyes open and saw the pale light peeking through the shades. He sat up, and instinctively looked at the clock. It was early. 6:00 to be exact. Roxas groaned as he sat up. Figures he would wake up this early… He slept all day yesterday. He hopped out of bed, and saw Sora sleeping like a log. Roxas would never say it, but he thought Sora was cute. He would have to play the role of big brother and make sure he was safe.

Roxas noticed his wrinkled clothes, but ignored them as he walked to the bathroom. He peeled off his clothes he slept in and walked into the shower. He turned the water on, and closed his eyes to drown himself in his thoughts. Roxas couldn't get the thought of what Ellone showed him yesterday out of his head. Axel actually… loved him? And Roxas hurt him? Roxas wanted to say sorry, but Axel was just so… so… unpredictable… One moment, Roxas would like the redhead, the next he would do or say something that made him hate him.

But had Roxas gone too far? Roxas sighed and turned the water to cold. He needed something to keep him awake before he fell asleep. The water slowly turned cold, until Roxas felt like it was spiking him to death. He turned off the water and walked out of the shower. He dried himself off, and went back to his room to get changed. He picked out a black shirt, a white jacket, and a pair of white-black pants. His favorite outfit. Roxas didn't know why, but just putting on his favorite clothes made him feel a little better. Roxas put it on and walked back to the bathroom to fix himself up. After that, he walked down to the kitchen. 'Only 7,' he thought. He decided he'd make breakfast again.

Sora yawned and lifted his head sleepily. He looked around the room, and suddenly noticed something was different. Roxas wasn't in bed! Sora jumped out of his bed and ran down the stairs. Roxas was sitting at the table with a plate of waffles in front of him.

"There you are!" Sora said, worriedly. "You slept all day yesterday. Are you okay?"

Roxas nodded. "I'm fine. Are you going to eat breakfast or not?" he ssaid, as he pointed to a plate of pancakes in front of him. Sora squealed with joy, and sat down in front of it, promptly digging in. "Your not going to brush you teeth?" Roxas said, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Who cares?" Sora said, in between bites. Roxas only shrugged and continued to watch Sora dig into the sweet, savory pancakes. When they were both done, Sora went upstairs to get ready for school, and Roxas washed the dishes. Mrs. Strife was still sleeping, because today was her day off.

The doorbell started to ring, and Roxas went to get it. When he opened the door, he was suddenly tackled by an over excited Demyx.

"Oh my god! Your up!" He cried out. "I thought you'd never wake up. Riku even tried mmph!" Riku held his hand over Demyx's mouth.

"Yea. We were worried." He finished.

"Sorry guys," Roxas said, as he got up.

"You should be saying sorry to Axel!" Demyx practically yelled. "You were really mean to him yesterday!"

"Don't worry, Dem," Riku said. "I'm sure after today, they will be as good as new." Roxas looked confused as Demyx giggled. "It's nothing Roxas," Riku assured.

After Sora was ready, they left the house, making sure not to wake up Mrs. Strife. As they walked to school, Sora and Demyx chattered loudly, but Roxas still wallowed in his thoughts. How could he apologize to Axel? This thought remained in his mind all throughout History class. Mr. Shinra scolded Roxas for not turning in his work that he had no chance to do, but he brushed it off as he continued to think about the redhead.

After class, Roxas was at his locker, when he found something in it. He pulled out a letter and a chocolate Pocky box.

_Hope this makes you feel better._

_-Axel_

Roxas looked at the Pocky box. Yes, he liked chocolate. Actually, liked is an understatement. He _loved_ chocolate. And Pocky was one of his favorite treats. But how did Axel know he liked Pocky. Only his closest friends knew he liked Pocky.

Roxas sighed and opened the box. He took out a stick and started to nibble on it. He tasted the chocolate covered biscuit stick, and when he finished, he pulled out another one. Riku walked up to him.

"You know you look like a rabbit nibbling a carrot," Riku said. "Where'd you get that?" Roxas only held out the note, not wanting to say anything. Riku read it and smiled. "I see. Well than, ready for class?" Roxas only nodded, and followed Riku to their next class.

During lunch, Roxas walked into the cafeteria alone. Riku had said he needed to do something during lunch, and that he couldn't make it. Roxas nodded and sat down at their usual table. Only two things were wrong. One, there was a giant basket full of chocolate Pocky. And two, no one else was there. Suddenly, Axel sat down, across from Roxas and only stared at the basket.

"What the hell?" Axel said, as he looked at what was inside. There was a small note attached to it. Roxas took it and read it.

_Hope we can make up. I brought something for us._

Roxas showed Axel the note. "Look I didn't buy this," Axel said. "Where would I even get the money?"

"The bet," Roxas simply said, as he took a box. He opened it, and started nibbling on the sticks. When he finished, he looked at Axel who had just been watching him. "Well, aren't you going have some. I mean you did buy it after all."

Axel sighed. "You really are insistent on saying that I bought it, aren't you? Fine, whatever. Free lunch, I guess." Axel took a box and started eating the Pocky, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of Roxas. He thought he looked pretty cute as he nibbled on those sticks of Pocky.

* * *

"Is it working?" Demyx asked, as Naminé peered into the cafeteria. He saw Naminé give a slight nod.

"Yup," she announced to everyone. "They're eating it together. They aren't saying anything, but at least they are staying with each other."

"I still can't believe we had to help lover boy over there," Hayner said. "And after taking my bet money."

"Serves you right," Larxene said. "I can so get a boyfriend."

"Hey, you guys aren't the only ones!" Riku snapped. "I really needed the money. I can't believe that Axel actually won."

"And here we are helping him," Zexion said, but his eyes were still glued to his book.

"Zexy," Demyx said. "You should really stop reading. This is important for Axel and Roxas."

"Shh!" Sora exclaimed. "I think Kairi's got a signal!"

"Yes!" Kairi said, as she moved away from the antenna. They were in the Music/Drama room, and Kairi had been fumbling with a radio. The voices of Axel and Roxas came in clearly.

* * *

"So," Axel said, as he started on a second box of Pocky. Axel noticed that all of the boxes were chocolate.

"So what?" Roxas asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Axel said, a little dejectedly. Roxas stopped nibbling and took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry," they both said at the same time. Axel took the lead.

"I'm sorry if I infuriated you," Axel said. "I just want to be friends. I won't hit on you again."

"No," Roxas said. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything I did yesterday. It's just that a lot of things have been going down my back and… I released all my anger on you… I'm sorry…"

Axel nodded. "Well then how about we start over? My name is Axel Gainsborough."

Roxas shook his head. "I don't want to start over. Because if we did, I couldn't do this." Roxas suddenly leaned over and pecked Axel on the cheek. Axel started to blush. "I love you too Axel," Roxas said, before he started to nibble on his Pocky again.

* * *

Tifa walked into her room and saw Riku, Sora, Kairi, Naminé, Marluxia, Larxene, Demyx, Zexion, Hayner, Pence, and Olette all sprawled out on the floor in front of a radio. "What the-?" she stared to yell, before a voice came in clear from the radio.

"I love you too Axel."

Everyone, including Tifa, stared at the radio.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this was a little short. My next update will skip all the way to Thanksgiving. Now we are really moving the story along! Bring in Cloud and Leon! Oh, and PLEASE review. Thanks and Loves!


	9. Rinoa

**A/N: Yay! Fast update! Sorry for those waiting on TFO and Amnesiac though… This fic is about halfway done. Everything will start getting more dramatic (more or less) from here on out. Dun dun dun!!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own KH. Don't own FF. I don't even own the Grats :(**

* * *

Leon readied his gunblade as he saw the incoming Grats. Two started to swarm him, but he ran through them with his gunblade out. He slashed through them effortlessly, and watched as they fell to the ground. "30," he counted, as he saw the Grat's bodies disappear.

"31," Zell grunted, as he appeared in front of Leon. "Looks like I'm winning so far." Suddenly, they heard rumbling and a roar. A T-Rexuar appeared from out of the trees. "First one to kill that wins!" Zell exclaimed.

Leon nodded, and ran towards the T-Rexaur, along with Zell. Both were about to attack it, when someone flew by and cut straight through the T-Rexuar's head. The T-Rexuar fell to the floor, obviously dead, and they both saw Cloud there with his buster sword.

"Well then," he said. "Looks like I won."

"No fair," Leon said. "You didn't even tell me you were coming."

"Well I wouldn't have," Cloud said back. "If you didn't spend so much time out here training. You said you would help me get ready to go."

Leon was about to respond but was cut off by Zell. "Nice to see you, Cloud," he said. Cloud only nodded back at him. Zell stretched himself. "Well, I gotta go get ready to leave. You win this time, Strife." Zell started to head towards the exit.

Cloud watched him, but Leon was a bit confused. "Get ready to go where?" he asked, trying not to show his confusion.

Cloud frowned at his boyfriend. "We were supposed to go to Twilight Town for Thanksgiving and Christmas!" he scolded. "Don't tell me you forgot!"

"Slipped my mind," Leon said. Cloud groaned as he pulled on Leon's jacket.

"C'mon. Help me pack. We leave tomorrow."

"Wait," Leon said, as he made Cloud turn around. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two tickets.

"What are these?" Cloud asked.

"They are reservations to a hotel near a hot springs," Leon said. "You're always so tense. Go to the hot springs and just relax. Or that's what Aerith told me at least…"

Cloud smiled. "And for once I thought you were actually being romantic." He sighed. "Oh well, I still love you." Cloud hugged his boyfriend, and brought his lips to the other man's, enjoying the brief, but loving kiss. They were so lost in each other that they did not notice three Grats sneak up on them.

* * *

Roxas yawned. It was Thursday. Not exciting really. He was in the middle of Mr. Seagill's class, and _really_ trying hard not to fall asleep. Riku nudged him.

"Wake up, Roxas," he whispered.

'How can I stay awake,' Roxas thought to himself. 'This guy's voice is so boring and it goes on and on forever.'

Suddenly, the saving grace of all things. The bell rang. Roxas didn't even realize that it was that late, until the school bell rang. Roxas got up and followed Riku, barely registering anyone else around him. That is, until someone jumped on his back.

"Hi Roxas!" Axel exclaimed, as he brought Roxas onto the floor of the hallways.

Roxas groaned as Axel got off of him and helped him up. "Nice to see you too Axe," Roxas muttered. Axel started to bring his lips down to his, but Roxas turned away at the last minute. Axel grumbled slightly.

"When can I kiss you again?" he complained. Roxas smiled to himself. They had never actually kissed in public, or even in private. Roxas had only kissed Axel once, and that was the incident when the made up with each other. Roxas said his first real kiss had to be _special_.

Roxas held Axel's hand as they walked out of their school, followed by Riku and Kairi. Naminé, Zexion, Sora, and Demyx soon joined them. Demyx and Zexion talked amongst themselves, as did Kairi and Naminé. Which left Sora to talk with Riku.

"Hey Riku!" Sora said with his usual brightness. Riku smiled at Sora. For some reason, whenever Sora saw Riku smile, he thought is looked good on him, and he wanted to make him smile all the time.

Riku felt the same way around Sora. Sora's brightness had become contagious, and he would always be smiling around Sora. There was also a strange fluttering in his chest, that he couldn't really describe. He tended to ignore it, but it just felt stronger today.

"Is everyone coming to our house for Thanksgiving dinner?" Sora asked, making sure everyone heard. They usually had Thanksgiving at The Strife house.

"You do that?" Axel asked.

Roxas nodded. "We usually do that. Hayner, Pence, and Olette already know. You might want to tell Marly, Yuf, and Larx just in case."

Riku nodded. "So is this some sort of tradition?"

"Kind of," Kairi responded. "We always gather together, and Mrs. Strife just _loves_ having people over. This year might be crowded though, considering we have so many people going."

"Actually…" Riku started, but he never had the heart to finish it.

"What is it Riku?" Naminé asked, picking up on the silence. All of the Destiny High children had become deafly quiet.

"Almost all of us are orphans," Zexion finished. However, unlike the other times, he too looked a little dejected. And he didn't have a book in his hand.

"What?" they all asked, shocked.

Roxas turned to Axel. "Is this true?" Axel didn't hear him, or pretended to at least.

"Let me explain," Demyx said, his voice a bit soft. "All of our family's were killed in the invasion. We were lucky enough to even survive. Sure, there were a few survivors, but we had nowhere to go. So some sort of government thingy stepped in. It sent us here to Twilight town. Larxene, Marly, and I all share an apartment room. Riku and Zexion share the one next to theirs, and Axel and I share one as well."

Everyone was shocked at Demyx's story. "Is this true, Axel?" Roxas asked. At the corner of his eye, he saw Axel nod. Suddenly, Roxas pulled Axel into his embrace. Incidentally, Sora pulled Riku into his embrace. Roxas put his head against Axel's shoulder muttering "sorrys." Sora just leaned against Riku's shoulder, but Roxas could've swore he saw tears. And those weren't drama tears.

Zexion put his hand on Roxas and Sora's shoulders. "It's okay guys. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to know. The government provides us with enough funding to get through school and to have basic living needs."

"Well that still doesn't give us the excuse to not tell us," Kairi huffed. "From now on, you and Axel are eating at out house for dinner."

"Aww," Axel moaned, "but your mom is scary. She's all huggy and nice… in a creepy way."

"You should see their mom," Riku said, while poking Sora on the head. Sora looked up at him with his teary blue eyes. "Don't cry…" Riku muttered.

"I'm not crying," Sora said a little shakily, as he rubbed away his tears. Everyone started laughing, and even Sora joining in, that brief moment of sadness suddenly gone. They all started walking again, towards Roxas and Sora's house. However, Roxas stopped when he saw someone sitting on the steps outside their house.

"Who is that girl?" Naminé asked, regarding to the girl who was talking to her dog. She was petting it, and just talking to it, like she was telling someone her problems.

"I don't know," Roxas said. "Sora and I will go check."

"Why do I have to?" Sora groaned, unaware that he was holding Riku's hand. Roxas didn't respond as he walked towards the girl that was sitting on their front steps. Now that he got a closer look of her, she looked as if she was their age maybe. She had layered black hair with brown highlights on the side of her head. She wore a black halter-top, a pair of black bike shorts, and she wore blue sleeveless duster sweater that reached down to the back of her legs.

She noticed they were coming up to her, and stopped talking to the dog to look at them. "Oh, hello," she greeted. "You must Sora and Roxas. Do you two know where your brother is?"

"Our brother?" Sora asked, a little surprised. He had never even seen this woman, and by the looks of it, neither had Roxas. "How do you know him?"

"More importantly," Roxas cut in, "who are you?"

The girl giggled. "I'm sorry. My name is Rinoa Heartilly. I'm a colleague of your brother at Balamb Garden. I just came to drop by and surprise him."

"Well he's not here. We don't even know if he's coming back for the holidays."

"He's not?" Rinoa asked, surprised. "They let us go back to our homes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I would assume that this would be the first place they would go to. That is, unless Leon dragged Cloud off on another romantic retreat.

"You know," Roxas said, "that actually sounds like what Leon would do. So you're a friend of our brothers?" Rinoa nodded.

"Then come on in," Sora said. "It's always nice to meet new people. Especially friends of our brother."

Rinoa giggled. "I guess you're Sora. Cloud has told me everything about you guys. Do you mind if I bring Angelo in?" she asked, as she pointed to her dog. "She is really well-behaved, and she's also potty trained."

Sora turned to Roxas, who looked at the dog. For some strange reason, it seemed to be doing the puppy dog eyes at Roxas. Finally. Roxas sighed. "Yea, she can come in."

Rinoa cheered and picked up her suitcase that she left nearby. She told Angelo to follow her, and they stood at the door. "After you," she said politely. Roxas opened the door, and let Rinoa and Angelo in. He told Sora to lead them to the guest room where they would be staying. Finally, Roxas went in, himself, and closed the door.

Suddenly, Demyx poked his head out. "Hey! They went inside without us!"

* * *

**A/N: Well, now you know where everyone lives now. Poor Destiny High Kids. Their parents were killed... On a lighter note, lol. They forgot the others. Anyways, the next chapter will involve Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin again. Yay! I didn't forget about them! Please review!**


	10. Eyes on Me

**A/N:Yay! Another fast update! I'm on a roll here! Love everyone who is actually reading this! But no one is reviewing… I want to know what you people think of my story. I'll even accept flames, but I can't guarantee my reply will be pleasant. AND, I know I promised that Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin would reappear in this chapter, but this chapter was sooo long. They will appear in the next one, FOR SURE.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Nor do I own the song, Eyes on Me.**

* * *

"So," Rinoa said, as she swallowed some spaghetti, "Cloud and Leon aren't here.

"I'm sorry you had to come such a long way," Mrs. Strife apologized.

"Oh no, it's okay," Rinoa assured her. "I'll just wait here for them. Thank you for letting me stay in the guest room."

"It's the least we can do, dear," Mrs. Strife said.

"By the way, Rinoa," Sora said. "How old are you? You look kinda young to be going to the same college Cloud is going to."

Rinoa smiled at Sora. "Let's see. I think Leon is 20 and I think Cloud is 19. I should be 17 years old."

Sora smiled back at her. "So are me and Roxas!" he exclaimed. Roxas hadn't really been paying attention to them. He was sitting next to Demyx, who was surprisingly quiet. However, Demyx _was_ playing with his spaghetti. Riku sat next to Sora, and he just listened intently on the conversation.

Roxas coughed, clearing his throat. "So, Rinoa. What do you do at Balamb Garden?"

Rinoa thought to herself for a while. "I may be 2 years younger than your brother, but I'm his equal."

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"It means she does the same thing as he does. Like she shares his same rank." Riku answered for Sora.

"More or less," Rinoa said, as she took another bite of her spaghetti. "Cloud has told me a lot about his family, but he never mentioned you two," Rinoa remarked, as she pointed to Demyx and Riku. She looked at Demyx. "You must be a musician." Then she looked at Riku. "Hmmm…" She then looked at Sora, and then back at Riku. Then she started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked.

"Nothing," Rinoa assured him. "I was just noticing how cute you guys look together." Both Sora and Riku started to blush and looked away from everyone. Neither of them said anything for the rest of dinner.

"Rinoa," Roxas said, breaking her from her giggling fit. "How long are you going to be staying?"

Rinoa composed herself. "I'm staying until the end of my break from Balamb Garden. Cloud and Leon got off at the same time as me. They should be here by now." She sighed. "Oh well. They should be back by New Years, because that's when I have to go back. Unless something urgent pops up back at Balamb. Then I _have _to go back."

"Well you are welcome to stay here for as long as you want," Mrs. Strife said.

"Actually," Rinoa said, "I was thinking. If it wasn't too much trouble, could I go to Twilight High with you guys tomorrow?"

"Why us?" Demyx asked, looking away from the monster that he had on his plate.

"There are some people I would like to say hi to," Rino explained. "If it's not too much trouble."

"None at all!" Demyx exclaimed for all of them. "You can even watch me play the sitar! I'm really good at it!"

Rinoa smiled. She was right. He was a musician. And he was as energetic as Sora. "That'd be lovely."

"Okay!" Demyx confirmed. "You can go with me and Sora. I know you'll have so much fun! You can meet all our friends! There's this one guy. His name is Zexion. He quiet, but he's really nice!"

"Actually, I'd like to go with Roxas," Rinoa said. "But I would like to hear you play the sitar sometime." Demyx nodded to her, excitedly. The rest of dinner was eaten with Rinoa and Mrs. Strife chatting. The boys ate in silence, especially Sora and Riku who were still blushing slightly.

* * *

Roxas stood in front of Twilight High. Next to him, was Rinoa and Riku. Sora and Demyx were a little ways behind them. How did Roxas get here? Even he didn't know. But Rinoa wanted to see Twilight High, so why not?

"Watch out for Mr. Shinra," Riku warned her. "He's a hardass."

"I'm sure I'll be okay," Rinoa said. Roxas didn't think so, but he still walked on, leading them both to the History Room.

Mr. Shinra couldn't have been more pleased to have a visitor in his class. "Young lady," he said. "Could you please state your name for the entire class?"

Rinoa stood up. "My name is Rinoa Heartilly. It's a pleasure to meet you all." Rinoa sat back down.

Class continued with Mr. Shinra picking on everyone as usual. However, he kept calling Rinoa, seeing as how she was part of the class, as he put it. Rinoa answered every question of his perfectly, without a second thought. Which in the end, made him call her more and more.

By the end of class, Roxas was feeling a little better, seeing as how Mr. Shinra didn't pick on him as much. Axel was by his side. "You seem awfully happy," he noticed.

"Yea," Roxas told him. They weren't officially a couple, but people saw them as such. Roxas wouldn't let Axel kiss him yet, not even on the cheek. In fact, the only kiss they ever had was the Pocky incident. Still Axel would tease Roxas to no end, in hopes of getting a kiss. "I kinda feel sorry for Rinoa though."

Rinoa came, skipping out of the classroom with Riku. "That class was fun!" she exclaimed. "It really was a nice review."

"If you think that was _fun_," Kairi said, "then you share a different view with the entire student population. _Everybody_ thinks that Mr. Shinra is too strict."

"Oh well," Riku said. "As long as I'm not called, I'm glad. C'mon Roxas, Rinoa. Music is next."

Axel said goodbye to Roxas, blowing him a kiss. Roxas only smiled back at his unofficial boyfriend and followed Rinoa and Riku to Music. When they entered their Music room, Tifa greeted them. "Hey you two. Who's that girl with you?"

"This is Rinoa," Riku introduced. "Rinoa, this is Tifa Lockhart." Rinoa only nodded at Tifa, and she nodded back.

"Well, Rinoa," Tifa said. "Can you play any instruments?"

Rinoa thought to herself for a while, as if she was debating on something. "I can play the piano," she finally said.

Tifa nodded. "Great. I have this piece you can play with Roxas and Riku. They both play the guitars. Are you up to it?"

Rinoa nodded. She sat by the piano, and Roxas and Riku both sat in chairs near her. The other students all came in, as the bell rang.

"Okay class," Tifa said to everyone. "Today we will be doing our duet pieces. First will be Roxas, Riku, and… Rinoa! She's a special guest here. They will be playing 'Eyes on Me.'"

"Excuse me," Naminé said, as she raised her hand. "I'm just wondering if Rinoa can play this song."

Rinoa smiled at her. "Don't worry everyone. I'll try my best to keep up with Roxas and Riku." Everyone applauded as they got ready. Roxas and Riku already knew the song by heart.

"Good luck you three," Tifa said, as she stepped back to watch them.

"Ready?" Riku asked, as he tapped his foot. He started to strum, and was followed by Roxas and Rinoa. Riku slowly stopped tapping his foot, as everyone listened to the melody. It was supposed to be an instrumental piece, but… Rinoa started to sing.

_Whenever sang my songs. On this stage, on my own. Whenever said my words. Wishing they would be heard._

Roxas and Riku looked at each other. Rinoa was playing perfectly like a master, and she was also singing in tune.

_I saw you smiling at me. Was it real? Or just my fantasy? You'd always be there in the corner. Of this tiny little bar. _

Everyone stared at Rinoa, as she sang. Tifa smiled to herself.

_My last night here for you. Same old songs, just once more. My last night here with you? Maybe yes, maybe no. I kind of liked it your way. How you shyly placed your eyes on me. Did you ever know? That I had mine on you._

_Darling, so there you are. With that look on your face. As if you never heard. As if you're never hurt. As if you're never down. Shall I be the one for you? Who pinches you softly, but sure. If frown is shown then, I will know that you are no dreamer._

Rinoa, Roxas, and Riku stopped their playing. There was a brief moment of silence. However, it felt like hours. No one spoke. No one moved. No one breathed. Suddenly, everyone heard Tifa clapping. Everyone started to applaud and whistle loudly. Roxas, Rinoa, and Riku got up, and bowed to them.

"That was excellent," Tifa said, as she walked to the front of the class. "Now then, next is…"

At then end of Music, everyone kept congratulating Rinoa, until Tifa shooed them all away to their next class. Rinoa sat down in her seat. "What's our next class?"

"Art," Roxas answered. "Art is my favorite subject. I love drawing." Rinoa nodded.

"I like drawing too."

"Rinoa," Tifa said, as she walked up to them. "I'd like to speak with you after class."

"Right Tifa," Rinoa said, as Tifa walked back to her seat.

"I didn't know you were so talented at the piano," Riku said.

Rinoa smiled and rubbed the back of her head casually. "Yea well. It's kinda a thing that runs in my family I guess. I can also sing well. Was it a mistake to sing that song?"

Roxas shook his head. "That was excellent. I didn't even know you knew that song." Rinoa only smiled at him, as the bell rang, and students started filing in.

Tifa clasped her hands. "Alright, today I want everyone to draw something meaningful to them. Anything will do. I just want it to come from your heart. You have until the end of the period." Tifa sat back down in her chair.

Everyone immediately went to work. Near the end of class, Tifa was looking around at people's drawings. "Riku… I like it." Riku drew a picture of an island. The ocean waves looked so realistic, and the sun looked as if it was just rising.

"It's my home," Riku explained. "Destiny Islands. I loved to hang out here the best. It was almost always sunny, and it was so fun to hang out with my friends."

Tifa nodded and moved on. "Roxas… This is beautiful." Roxas had drawn a picture that was covered in flames. But the flames were only borders because in the middle of the paper, was a picture of Axel and Roxas. They were holding hands, and they were looking at each other. "This is you and Axel, right?" Roxas nodded. Tifa moved onto Rinoa.

"I like it," she said looked at Rinoa's drawing. "It's simple, but it is well done." Rinoa didn't draw anything fancy. It was just a sketch drawing. But it was a sketch drawing of a dog.

Rinoa nodded. "It's a sketch of my dog, Angelo. She's my best friend." Tifa only nodded, and moved on.

After class, Roxas and Riku told Rinoa to head to the lunchroom and look for them when she was done with talking to Tifa. Rinoa said okay, and stayed behind. She sat in her seat, and looked at Tifa.

"So," Tifa said, with all seriousness in her voice. "What are they planning to do?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I'm not here for that. I'm just here for my vacation. Cloud and Leon were supposed to already be here, but they weren't. So I decided to come visit you guys."

Tifa let out a sigh of relief. "So this is just your vacation, right? Good. That means we are still safe."

Rinoa nodded. "Cid said if there was any trouble, he would send Aerith." Tifa nodded, as well.

"Great. It'll be nice to see Cloud and Leon. It's been so long. And you seem to be enjoying yourself."

Rinoa smiled. "Yup. I've done so well in every class so far. I can't wait to see the other guys."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to see you," Tifa said. "Now, c'mon. Your friends are waiting for you, and I only have a half hour for my break." Rinoa giggled, and left the classroom, followed by Tifa. However, Tifa made sure she locked the room, just in case.

* * *

**A/N: Wow! This chapter was exhausting. It was originally supposed to be one whole thing, but it was so long, I had to split it into two. Why? To torture you! lol. And BTW, the last sentence was a reference to Ch. 8. Why? Go see for yourself! Loves to everyone! Please review, and please vote for Naminé's boyfriend!**


	11. Waltz for the Moon

**A/N: Oh Em Gee! This update took a while, and now I have 4 stories going XP. Man, am I going to be exhausted… Anyways, this is the next part, and Seifer and his gang come in! Oh and BTW, the WONDERFUL poem belongs to MyBetwixtScarz. Thank him for writing up that poem on Angelo! He ROCKS!**

**Disclaimer: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! … Oh wait. I'm not supposed to say that here. I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them! I don't own them!**

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Rinoa walked into the lunchroom and looked for a familiar spike of blonde hair. However, it was Roxas that she saw instead of Cloud. "Hey Roxas!" she exclaimed, as she walked up to their little group. Beside him was the redhead that she recognized from his drawing.

"Hey," Roxas greeted. "Everyone, this is Rinoa. She's a friend of my older brother's." Everyone showed some recognition of her presence before talking with each other once again. Rinoa took out her sandwich and started munching on it.

"So," Riku said. "What did Tifa want to talk to you about?" Rinoa shrugged.

"She asked if I would be coming back. I told her I was just here for a while." Riku believed her as he went back to his own sandwich.

"So Rinoa, right?" Olette asked. "What's Balamb Garden like? You do go to the same college as Roxas' older brother, right?"

Rinoa nodded. "We don't tend to call it a college. More of a 'Garden.' But anyways, Balamb Garden is a pretty nice place. There are the dorms, a library, awesome cafeteria food, and always a lot of action."

"Sounds like my kind of place," Hayner said. "As long as I get to beat on Seifer." Hayner glared at Seifer who was eating with his usual posse, Rai and Fuu.

"Drop it Hayner," Olette chided. "How long have you two been rivals? Since like in grade school, right?"

Pence nodded. "Oh yea. I remember. I'll never forget that time."

_A 9 year old Hayner was being pushed into the mud. "Chicken Wuss," someone yelled at him. That someone just so happened to be a 11 year old Seifer. _

_Hayner picked himself up. "Shut up!" he yelled. That was when Seifer tackled him to the ground. They continued to wrestle, until someone broke them up._

"_Stop it," a brunette girl said as she separated both of them._

_Hayner only sneered at Seifer and turned away. Seifer glared at the girl for separating them but he still had his morals on not hitting a girl. However, he gave Hayner another push into the mud, before walking away._

_Hayner splashed into the mud again, and was about to get himself up when a hand extended it's way to him. Hayner looked up into the girl's emerald eyes. Hayner didn't realize he was staring until two boys came up behind her. One had spiky blonde hair and the other had brown-blackish hair that was being held up by a headband._

"_Are you alright, Olette?" the boy behind her asked._

_The girl looked back at her friends and nodded. She then turned back to Hayner. "What's your name?" she asked._

"_Hayner," Hayner responded. "Hayner Isrile."_

_Olette smiled at him. "I'm Olette Osorio. Come on. Let's get you out the mud."_

"That was how I met you," Olette said, as she leaned towards Hayner. Hayner gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What else is there?" Marluxia asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Nothing really," Rinoa said. "But there is always a lot to learn. You could even say that its life or death."

"Hmmm," Kairi thought out loud. "Sounds like a good place to go to."

"It is," Rinoa said.

"Oh yeah!" Demyx suddenly yelled out. "Rinoa!" he called, shaking her arm. Then he turned to the boy with slate colored hair sitting next to him. He had a book in his hand, and his eyes were intently scanning through each page. Demyx started to shake his shoulder suddenly.

Zexion dropped his book, and glared at the slightly taller boy next to him. "What?" he asked in annoyance.

"This is Rinoa!" Demyx exclaimed, pointing to Rinoa. He turned to Rinoa. "And this is Zexion! The best guy and friend a person could ever want!"

Everyone looked at Zexion and saw just a tinge of pink starting to take over his cheeks. But what Rinoa said next made them turn red.

"I think you two look cute as a couple too," Rinoa remarked, all too bluntly. Zexion felt himself blushing. Damn. He looked over at Demyx and saw that he too was holding his face, trying to cover up his own blush.

Zexion thought it over. There was no way in hell that would ever happen. Would it? Now that he actually looked back at it, there had usually been a lot of hints. Had they been on purpose? Or did Demyx not know he was dropping them?

Demyx was also thinking it over. Did he really look cute with Zexion? WAIT! He shouldn't be thinking about that! Wasn't it wrong to be with another guy? But… Axel was with Roxas. Because Axel loved him. Did Demyx love Zexion?

Rinoa smiled inwardly to herself. 'They're all acting like Cloud and Leon,' she thought to herself. 'Man, it took them _forever_ to hook up. I wonder how many relationships can I bring together before I have to leave?"

* * *

Rinoa skipped into her next class, alongside Riku and Sora. She had been having a lot of fun today. And she still hadn't seen everyone yet. When she entered her next class, she caught the familiar form of Laguna, accidentally dropping a pile of papers. She smiled and helped him pick them up.

"Nice to see you to," Laguna whispered to her. "Any news on the front?"

"None," Rinoa whispered back. "And in case you're wondering, both Ellone and Leon are doing fine. But Ellone has been losing herself in thought more often, and Leon should be here anytime soon. He probably took some time off with Cloud."

"Hmm," Laguna said, as he took his papers from Rinoa. He stood up with Rinoa. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Heartilly," he said, putting on an act for everyone that was watching them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Loire," she said, as she walked back to where Riku and Roxas were sitting.

"What was that about?" Roxas asked. Rinoa smiled.

"Nothin'," she assured them. "Just helping the teacher." When everyone had gathered for English, Laguna started the class.

"Alright, everyone. I want all of you to create a poem. Make it by the end of the 5th period, and we shall all present ours tomorrow. All of us except Ms. Heartilly. She shall present hers today, because as you said, you are just visiting, correct?" Rinoa nodded. "Very well then, everyone may start their assignments." Everyone bustled around, either talking with each other for ideas, or just shirking their works immediately. Rinoa held the pencil eraser to her lips.

'Let's see,' she thought. 'What to write about? Oh, I know!' Rinoa started to let the works flow from her pencil as she wrote her poem.

Near then end of class, Laguna told them all to stop writing. "Now if Ms. Heartilly will come up and say her poem to the entire class." Rinoa stood up and walked to the front of the class.

"This is a poem I call Angelo," she said. She coughed into her hand and started to recite her poem.

_Remember the day that we first met?  
What a day that turned out to be.  
It's a day that I won't ever forget.  
We spent the day together just you and me.  
A walk through the park.  
On a sunny day.  
And on all the trees you made your mark.  
Our favorite place that field of flowers where we loved to lay.  
Where does the time go?  
It seems so distant now, so far.  
It's as if I'm watching our memories through a window.  
The images are clear but are obscured by the moving cars.  
But no matter how much time passes us by.  
I know deep down a have a friend better than an ordinary fellow.  
Always with me. Always by my side. No other than my...Angelo._

Everyone applauded her as she smiled at everyone and sat back down. "Thank you Ms. Heartilly," Laguna said. "Now, if ev-" The bell took that as a good moment to ring. Laguna waited for the bell to finish until he said to the entire class, "Dismissed!"

Everyone got up and started heading to their final period of the day. "Nice poem Rinoa," Roxas said.

Rinoa nodded. "I just love my dog. When I first saw her, I just _had_ to get her. She's so cute."

"One more period," Riku said, as he headed for the door. "Gym."

Rinoa groaned. "Not exactly my favorite subject. I hope we don't have to sweat…" Both Roxas and Riku laughed as they walked towards their final period.

"Today will be our final day in the dance segment," Barret announced. Several cheers and groans were heard alike. "But today will also count heavily on your grades. All you need to do is dance. It is not that difficult. Now then, I would like to see Raijin, Fujin, and Seifer. The rest of you may start."

Everyone started to dance, and Rinoa laughed as she sat on the side, watching Riku and Roxas. "I'm dancing the lead," Riku said.

"No way!" Roxas argued. "I'm not dancing the girl's part!"

"Well that's the part you've been learning, so you're gonna have to!"

"I don't want to fall into your arms! You might kiss me, thinking I'm Sora!" Riku started to blush then.

"R-Rinoa," Riku said, faltering a bit. "Who would make a better lead? Me or Roxas?"

Rinoa looked at Riku, then at Riku. "Riku," she stated. "Riku is taller and he has that elegant quality of being a natural leader." Riku just held his hand out to Roxas. Roxas took it, grumbling something that sounded like "bastard."

"Now then," Barret said, as he spoke to the three, "all of you are currently failing gym."

"No way!" Rai exclaimed. "There can be no way I'm failing, y'know. I'm too good to fail, y'know."

"Plus his parents will kill him if he gets another F," Seifer finished. And as usual, Fuu didn't say anything.

"Exactly," Barret said. "To bring your grade up, you need all need to participate today. Now go off into your groups!

Seifer mumbled "bastard" and took Fuu's wrist. He started to walk towards the gym, but Barret stopped him. "Oh no you don't," Barret said. "Today, Fuujin will work with Raijin. You will just have to work with someone else."

"Call me Fuu," Fuu muttered. Rai came walking over to them.

"Yea, and call me Rai, y'know. I don't need someone calling me by my first name, y'know."

"Sure thing," Barret said hastily, "just go before you two fail." Rai and Fuu left them.

"So which lamer do you want me to be dancing with, teach?" Seifer asked, in his usual bad boy tone.

Barret looked around and saw everyone dancing… except one girl. "Rinoa!" Barret called out.

Rinoa looked at him, and came over. "Hello Mr. Wallace," Rinoa said. "What can I do for you?"

Seifer didn't care how they knew each other, or what they were talking about. That is, until he heard,"You will be dancing with Seifer here."

Seifer looked at Barret and then at Rinoa. He admitted that she was pretty cute, but he still wasn't going to dance with someone he didn't know.

"Okay," Rinoa said, as she looked at Seifer as well. She noticed that Seifer had a scar, extremely identical to a man she already knew.

Barret looked at the two. This would either go incredibly well or incredibly bad. He left without a word.

Seifer just looked away, refusing to look at Rinoa. Suddenly, he heard Rinoa giggle. "Oh I get it," he heard her say. "You won't dance with me because you're shy. That's not your thing to do, because you're _too _cool to dance. Well then." Seifer felt his hand being pulled as Rinoa dragged him to the center of the gym.

Rinoa abruptly stopped, causing Seifer to bump into her. Rinoa didn't seem to care, as she took Seifer's right hand and placed it around the left side of her body. She then took Seifer's left hand in hers and held it up. Rinoa started to move, and Seifer moved along with her. Of course, his movements were clumsy, and it looked as if Rinoa was dragging him. Barret held his clipboard up to his face. "I can't watch," he muttered.

Seifer felt himself being swayed around by Rinoa. He tried to say something, but he couldn't. Rinoa just kept dragging him along. Unconsciously however, Seifer noticed each step and it somehow became easier. Pretty soon, he was keeping up in time along with Rinoa.

-20 minutes later-

Seifer and Rinoa held their hands out to each other. Seifer spun Rinoa around and switched places with her as they both turned. They crossed each other once more and Seifer held his hand out. Rinoa took it, and Seifer swung her in, pushing Rinoa back out. Rinoa did it once more and they joined together with their hands against each others.

Applause rang out and they both looked around to see everyone watching them. Seifer looked back at Rinoa with a content gaze and they stared into each other's eyes. Suddenly, the gym door was slammed and Rinoa turned over to see who was at the door. She saw a familiar mop of brown hair and she looked back at Seifer. Seifer looked confused as Rinoa dismissed him with a sleight of her hand and a wink of her eye, as she walked off.

Suddenly, Seifer was attacked by his friends. "Yo Seifer," Rai said, "That was totally hot, y'know! Both the chick and the dance, y'know! Did you get to kiss her?"

Seifer ignored his friend as he tried to look for Rinoa, but there was too much crowd and confusion as he heard the bell ring.

Barret smiled at where Seifer and his friends were. On his clipboard, right next to the name "Seifer" he put an A+.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter done! lol, I made Rinoa good at **_**everything**_**. Do you know how hard it was to describe that dancing part, though? Sorry if that part is bad, but I tried my best. Again, thanks to MyBetwixtScarz for writing that poem. Please review!**


	12. A Love to be Thankful For

**A/N: OH EM GEE! Summer is finally here! But it's been so long since I last updated. I'm so sorry! This summer will be a little hectic, because I have hellavalotava things to do. Updates will be more or less frequent. I hope to finish at least two of my fics in progress, one of them being this one. Well, here we go!**

**BTW, poll is still up for ****Naminé's love interest. It's in my profile. But of course we know Luxord is going to win .**

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"So… What have you done to corrupt my little brothers?"

Rinoa giggled. (**A/N: **_**AGAIN**__. _**She giggles too much**_.__**) **_"Nothing," she said. "We're just friends." She held Sora by the neck and pulled him into a headlock.

"Hey stop that!" Sora said, while laughing.

"Rinoa, stop that. Quite unladylike." Rinoa pouted but reluctantly let go of Sora. Leon turned to Mrs. Strife. "It's nice to see you again ma'am."

Mrs. Strife smiled. "Oh Leon, you're always so polite. You could learn a thing or two from him Cloud." All three brothers groaned. How come everyone was always viewed as angels? While they always had bad manner, bad posture, bad "aura" as Mrs. Strife put it once to Cloud. Mrs. Strife, sensing their annoyance, said, "Oh you know I love you three. It's just fun to tease you all." Everyone laughed except the three brothers.

"So," Riku said, stuffing some mashed potatoes in his mouth. After he swallowed, he continued. "What's Balamb Garden like? All Rinoa has done is being vague about it."

Cloud shrugged. "Mmm. It's… interesting. Fun of course. Everything is more of a first-hand experience."

Riku nodded, but he didn't really seem pleased with his answer. "Did you bring anything home for us?" Sora suddenly blurted out.

Cloud and Leon smiled to each other while Roxas hit Sora over the head. "You're supposed to ask them that after a day has passed," Roxas whispered. "That way, it doesn't seem like you're greedy."

"But I can't hold it in anymore," Sora whined.

"It's okay guys," Leon said. "This is for you Sora." Leon tossed Sora a key chain that resembled a lion head.

"Oh cool!" Sora said. He looked at it. "It's a lion, right?"

Leon actually smiled, something he rarely did in public. "Yes Sora, it's a lion. And if you notice, I have one too!"

"Hey!" Sora said. "I just wanted to make sure. Besides, I've never seen what an actual lion looks like."

"And this is for you, Roxas," Cloud said, as he tossed him a star-shaped fruit.

"What is this?" Roxas asked, in confusion.

"Huh! That's a papou fruit!" Demyx suddenly yelled out. "They say if you share that with someone, your destinies will be intertwined." Roxas glared at Cloud who was simply smiling at him. "You can only get those back at where we used to live. Destiny Islands."

Roxas mumbled something as he put away the fruit. He still said thank you to Cloud though. Cloud smirked at them. "Maybe I should've given it to Sora instead. Seeing as how he has someone that likes him."

Sora looked up from his key chain. "Who?" he asked, with surprise. He didn't notice Riku suddenly tuck his head down. Cloud laughed.

"Looks like both of my little brothers have someone they like," Cloud said, heartily. He turned to Roxas. "Who's the lucky boy?"

Roxas dropped his fork while Leon choked on whatever he had in his mouth. "How do you know it's a boy?" Roxas asked, nervously.

Leon simply looked at Roxas. "It's a guy? Who is he? I'll make him cry!"

"He's not all that bad," Roxas said, thinking about Axel. He completely forgot the fact that he just admitted that Axel was his boyfriend. "If you get past his flaming red hair and pyromaniac tendencies…"

This time, Cloud stood up. "He's never allowed in this house!" he declared.

Mrs. Strife rolled her eyes. "Too late Cloud dear. Besides, I've met him, and I approve of him."

"Your opinion doesn't count, mom," Cloud said. "You're growing too old to judge."

Mrs. Strife gasped in mock anger. Or was it real? She was just as a good actor as Sora. "Why I never… Are you insinuating that I'm growing senile? I'll have you know Cloud, that I'm perfectly fine with little Axel, just as long as he doesn't burn the good china."

Roxas held his head in his hands. They were talking about his boyfriend right in front of him. Wait… He thought of Axel as his boyfriend? Roxas thought about it… He had been spending more time with Axel. Now the papou fruit started sounding more appealing.

Rinoa looked around the table. Demyx was listening intently about his best friend. Leon, Cloud, and Mrs. Strife were talking about Axel. Roxas was thinking in his mind. That left Riku and Sora. Rinoa noticed Sora picking at his food. He seemed to be deep in thought as well. Across from him, she saw Riku blatantly staring at him. Rinoa sighed. How much more obvious could Riku get? However, he chose a really good time to admire Sora's beauty, because no one was paying particular attention to him.

After Mrs. Strife had whacked both Cloud and Leon over the head, they all continued eating in silence, until she once again broke it. "So, what are we going to do for Thanksgiving, Roxas? I heard you had something particular in mind?"

Roxas looked up from his meal. "Oh… I was wondering if we could have all of our friends from Destiny High come over here to eat. Our house is big, and I'm sure we could fit a little more people."

Mrs. Strife knew her son well. "Of course Roxas, but there has to be a reason. What could it be?"

Roxas looked to Riku, and he only nodded to him, signaling it was okay to tell. Roxas breathed in a little. The tension in the room practically screamed, "RUN!" whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, I cannot tell. "They are all orphans…" Everything paused.

Mrs. Strife gone to serious, sorrow, and then back to normal. "I'm sorry to hear that." Then her face got angry. "Why didn't you tell us Riku?! I could've at least made more food for you. You're so skinny. Here you can take some of Sora's food." Or mock anger… Like I said, it was really hard to tell. "You too Demyx. Take some of Roxas' food."

"Hey!" both Roxas and Sora protested.

Mrs. Strife smiled a coy smile at them. "What? My babies are growing fat. They need to be less spoiled." Riku and Demyx laughed at her antics. She may as well have been an old woman, and yet she still acted like a teenage girl.

Mrs. Strife let out a sigh of relief. "Moving on, I guess I can always make more food. Don't scare me like that Roxas. You sounded like someone died. Now then, can anyone of you help me with shopping tomorrow? I need to get us prepared for Thanksgiving." No one volunteered. Well, except Rinoa, but she was the only other girl, so she didn't count. **(A/N: Ugh, I'm so sexist, lol.) **

"I'll help with shopping for the food," Rinoa said, "seeing as how the boys won't do it. Oh, and I'm done with dinner, too. It was wonderful, as always Mrs. Strife. Thank you!" Rinoa took her plate and left to put it in the sink. As Rinoa put her plate away, she thought of how to get Sora and Riku together. 'It all depends if that papou fruit is really what it's worth.'

Riku yawned as he stood up. "Great, I'll tell everyone that we're set up for Thanksgiving."

Demyx stood up with him. "Thank you Mrs. Strife. It was nice meeting you, Cloud and Leon. Oh, and Roxas," he said, as he turned to said boy, "should I tell Axel you have something for him?"

Roxas looked at the papou fruit that sat on the table. "No," he practically snapped. Demyx giggled at him as they left.

* * *

Everyone sat at the conjoined tables. On the table was one of the most delicious banquets you could have ever imagined. Mrs. Hikaru and Mrs. Strife definitely went all out. There was fresh bread, corn, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, two turkeys, cranberry sauce, and whatever else you have for Thanksgiving. **(A/N: I don't really know what people have for Thanksgiving when there are like 16 people. Just imagine all the good food… Dang, I'm hungry now…) **Everyone sat at the table admiring the food. Everyone was there. Both Destiny and Twilight kids. Mrs. Hikaru and Mrs. Strife were the only adults present. The other adults liked to do their own things on Thanksgiving. Everyone wore nice clothes. Even Larxene. Mrs. Strife and Mrs. Hikaru both sat down.

"Before we dig in," Mrs. Strife started, "Let's be thankful for having all this food. And that we could all be together for it." Everyone took a moment of silence. "And now Leon, please grace us with your blessing."

Leon did this every year. He clasped his hands. He was the only one who did this though. He closed his eyes and said aloud, "To Eden. Thank you for this meal where I could be with my other family. But this is a family in itself. Let this remain in our minds as we eat this feast in memory of each other." He opened his eyes and smiled _very_ slightly. "Dig in."

The whole dining room erupted in noise. Some of them compliments, some of them loud chatter, and some of them, even I don't know. After dinner, everyone had a great time. Even Larxene. Rinoa tapped on her glass. "I propose a toast," she said. "To the couples in this room. After all, the greatest thing in the world is love."

Cloud and Leon smiled. Rinoa always knew what to say. They looked at each other's eyes. And they joined in a passionate kiss.

Zexion kept his eyes closed, as he tried to focus Rinoa's words. Ever since that incident in the lunchroom, he had been thinking of the blond-haired musician even more. He turned to him. At the same time, Demyx turned to look at Zexion. They stared into each other's eyes. And then… Was it impulse, or did someone push them? I don't know, but either way, their lips met. Both of them were surprised, but they both eventually relaxed into it.

Riku looked at Sora, who this time noticed him watching him. They looked into each other's eyes, and quickly looked away. They both were extremely red in the face.

Olette and Hayner smiled at Rinoa's comment. They didn't hesitate, to start kissing each other, each kiss filled with more love than the last.

Roxas and Axel looked at each other. Roxas knew what Axel was thinking. Axel voiced it anyways. "Just one?" he asked, a bit hopefully. Roxas smiled at him, and brought his lips up to the red head's.

Larxene and Marluxia gave each other a peck. Neither of them was much for PDA. Besides, they didn't want to embarrass themselves like the other couples, currently making out.

Mrs. Hikaru smiled. "Wow, I can't tell if this is a beautiful thing, or something completely different."

Mrs. Strife smiled as well. "Get a room!" she suddenly yelled. Everyone who had been making out suddenly stopped, and looked embarrassed to have been making out. "Time for the pie," Mrs. Strife announced. Both her and Mrs. Hikaru went in and came out with two big pies. One pumpkin, and the other apple. Everyone had a slice. Even Larxene. Some even had more than one.

After the meal, many people lounged about the house. Most of them were watching T.V, though. Rinoa looked at Riku and Sora sitting next to each other, watching T.V. They were close enough to look innocent, but Rinoa knew that they weren't all innocent. 'Time to put my plan into action,' she thought. Rinoa walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She found the small glass of yellowish liquid. It was thick and melty enough. She poured it into a glass and got two straws.

Rinoa walked into the room and bent down near Riku and Sora. "Hey you two," she said. "Want a fruit smoothie I made just for you two?"

Sora nodded, but Riku was a little suspicious. Just for them? Riku shrugged it off, however, when he saw Sora drink it. "This is good!" Sora said. Riku took a sip of it, and it _was_ good.

Riku looked towards Rinoa, who was smiling at them. "What kind of fruit did you use?" he asked. 'Did she drug it?'

Rinoa smiled at Riku. "I used a little bit of this and that. But mostly apples and starfruits." Riku nodded, and kept drinking it. Rnioa walked away with a smile on her lips. 'Now let's see what destiny has in store for those two.'

Roxas was watching the T.V, but his head was on Axel's lap. Axel looked down at his "boyfriend." Axel didn't really know, since Roxas still didn't show any hints. Suddenly he heard his name being called. He looked at Roxas and smiled. "What is it, Roxie?"

Roxas slightly frowned at his nickname, but he didn't let that get him down. He continued to stare up at his "boyfriend's" eyes. Axel felt kind of weird having Roxas stare at him like that. "Will you be my boyfriend?" Roxas suddenly asked.

Axel gasped and looked down at him. Roxas' voice never wavered, and his baby blue eyes held all the emotions: love, sincerity, passion. Axel smiled. He hugged Roxas. "Nothing would make me happier," he admitted. Roxas cuddled up to Axel. He felt warm and nice.

'Maybe this is love. The love that Axel needs. I'll always be here for you Axel.'

* * *

Ellone smiled as she opened her eyes. Aerith walked in with several papers, and looked at her. "What's with the face?" she asked.

Elone still held the smile. "Nothing. It's just that a new love has been born."

* * *

**A/N: lol, Rinoa's playing matchmaker! And did you notice me being mean to Larxene? lol. The next chapter will timeskip to Christmas. Happy summer! Wow, that was so odd. How did I get from Christmas to Summer?**


	13. Merry Christmas

**A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter in the not so exciting Twilight High! Ah well, here is where we skip to Christmas. What will everyone get? Even I don't know! Let me think for a while…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. Nor do I own Christmas. The happiest time of year is sad for me…**

* * *

Roxas snuggled up to Axel as they walked along the streets of Twilight Town. It was getting colder every day, as the happiest holiday of the year approached. Actually… it was tomorrow… And they still didn't know what to get each other. Roxas already knew what he was going to get his friends. Each one of them. But Axel was a different story… Shopping for his boyfri- I mean… shopping for his friend that he likes to snuggle up to and act all "friendly" with. But not boyfriend.

Axel smiled at the shorter boy who tried pushing himself closer to him for body warmth. "Yo, Roxie," he said, using his affectionate pet name. "I'm still here. Trying to get any closer to me won't change a thing." He looked back up at the sky. Unbeknownst to many, even himself, it actually snowed and got cold in Twilight Town. Roxas said it was always light, but the way he was trying to snuggle up to Axel right now, made it look like they were in a blizzard.

Roxas frowned at him, but smiled when he hit him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm just cold," he said. Suddenly he noticed two people also shopping. "Hey look! It's Sora and Riku!"

Sora and Riku had not been having the best of luck. Ever since Thanksgiving, the kept seeing each other like in stores or in cafés. What made it worse, was that Sora got noticeably clumsier. Okay, a blind person could tell that Sora got a whole lot clumsier. But for some even stranger reason, he was always especially clumsy around Riku. Like that time when Sora was shopping with Rinoa, Riku, Axel, and Roxas. Rinoa had him carry all her stuff, and he couldn't see. Sora accidentally tripped on something underfoot, and fell into Riku's arms. After that, Rinoa made Roxas carry her stuff…

Roxas ran ahead to his brother. "Hey Sora!" Sora turned around, and waved at his brother. But Roxas flung himself into Sora's arms. Sora shyly returned Roxas' hug, but when he tried to let go, Roxas held on tight.

"Don't let go," Roxas muttered, a glazed look in his eyes. "Oh my god, you're so much warmer than Axel."

"Hey," Axel said, as he unlatched Roxas, and pulled him into his own arms. "Who said my personal heater could leave?" Roxas pouted, which made his face oh so kissable. Axel leaned in to capture his lips, but Roxas just turned his face, making Axel kiss the side of his face.

"It's not that cold," Sora regarded his older brother. "And you call me immature…"

Riku put his arm around Sora's shoulder. "Damn, you're right Roxas. It is cold…" Riku shivered, and tried pulling Sora closer, who by now was blushing like the color of Axel's hair.

Axel laughed. "Ah, young love. So innocent to one, and so suggestive to the other." Sora blushed even more, if that was possible, and Riku just shot Axel an amused look.

Roxas yawned. "Axe," he said in a very cute a puppy-like voice. "Can we go home pwease? I'm tiwerd…" Roxas then did… Oh no… the dreaded puppy dog eyes of doom! Okay, maybe only puppy dog eyes, but those were one of Axel's weaknesses. Axel sighed. Roxas may have been, 17 years old, but his puppy dog eyes still looked as innocent as the day he was probably born. Axel kissed Roxas on the forehead.

"You know I could never deny you anything, Roxie." Axel then released him from the hug and held his hand. The walked back to Roxas' house.

Sora yawned as well. "Ugh. I'm tired too Ri'" Sora admitted. "Sorry I couldn't get you anything though…"

"It's okay," Riku said. "Kinda sorry that I couldn't get you anything either…"

Sora smiled. "S'okay. We got each other… nothing. Yea. How 'bout we go home now? I'm tired…"

Riku nodded. "C'mon then. You'll want to be wide awake to Christmas tomorrow, right?" Sora nodded and followed Riku back to their house.

"We're home!" Roxas yelled, as he entered the house. He saw Leon and Cloud snuggled up by the fireplace, next to Rinoa, who was watching a T.V. program intently. Cloud and Rinoa had a cup of hot chocolate in their hands, while Leon had a cup of tea. Roxas rolled his eyes. 'Of course,' he mused.

"I'm home too," Sora said, as he half said, half yawned.

Mrs. Strife walked out from the kitchen. "Oh my. Riku and Axel. Please, you must join us for dinner."

Riku and Axel shook their heads. "No thanks ma'am," Riku said for them. "We couldn't possibly impose… Again…"

Mrs. Strife shook her head. "Of course you are not imposing. After all, you are going to spend your lives with my sons, aren't you?" Axel laughed while Riku blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his head. "Dinner will be ready in five. Please get those two bums awake." With that, Mrs. Strife walked back into the kitchen. Axel and Riku didn't understand what she said, when they noticed that Roxas and Sora had fell into a light doze, both of them leaning against their respective partner's chests. They both looked at the boys tenderly. They looked so peaceful and sweet.

Suddenly, Rinoa bound in and yelled, "Wake up!" in their faces. Both Sora and Roxas flinched at the noise. But Roxas opened his eyes to glare at Rinoa, while Sora held onto Riku's shirt, with his eyes shut tight.

"Riku!" Sora whined childishly. "Make the mean woman go away." Rinoa rolled her eyes, and took one of Sora's hands. She started to drag the unenthusiastic boy to the dining room.

All three of them turned to Cloud and Leon who stood at the doorway to the living room. "She's a keeper," Riku said, sarcastically. He then left to save his little Sora from the clutches of the princess.

After dinner, Roxas and Sora said goodnight, as soon as they were done. "Going to bed so soon?" Leon asked with a smirk.

"Well duh," Sora said. "The faster we sleep, the faster Christmas comes." Roxas nodded, like he was the only one who got his twin's logic.

"Well than," Axel said, as he backed his seat away. "I'm stuffed. Thanks Mrs. Strife, but I think Riku and I will be going back to the apartments."

Mrs. Strife frowned. "But why don't you two stay? You can sleep with Sora and Roxas. In the same bed…" After she said that, everyone above 18 burst into laughter.

"Mom!" both Sora and Roxas called out.

"Aren't you too old for that?!" Sora cried out, with tears in his eyes. Axel and Riku only stood at their seats at the table, blushing.

"You're never too old for anything," Mrs. Strife said to her sons. "Besides, Leon and Cloud do it all the time."

Cloud's face soon resembled a tomato, but Leon was a little more composed. He was just looking to the side, with a tinge of red. However, Rinoa. Well, she was, in a manner of speaking, laughing her ass off. "Mom!" All three brothers said at the same time.

Mrs. Strife smiled sweetly. "What? I'm only an old woman whose only joy in life is seeing her young sons find love." Suddenly, her kind smile melted into a knowing smirk. "So get up there and go to bed."

They all stared incredulously at Mrs. Strife. Roxas was so shocked, that he didn't even notice Axel, until he was behind him, breathing into his ear. Roxas didn't turn around, but he could practically see Axel's smirk. "Well," he said slowly, "if mom approves." Roxas felt himself being lifted, and he was being carried over Axel's shoulder.

"Axel, let go of me!" Roxas demanded, as he banged against Axel's back.

Axel laughed. "Struggle all you want Roxie. But if Mommy approves, like hell I'm missing a chance like this." Axel carried Roxas upstairs. (**A/N: Wow, I just reread it. You'd think that Mrs. Strife wanted her sons to have sex or something :D)**

Sora followed his twin upstairs, making sure that Axel didn't do anything… inappropriate. Riku followed Sora, not believing that he was just convince to sleep in the same bed with Sora, _by_ Sora's mom. That night, Riku slept on the floor, Sora slept on the bottom bunk, Roxas slept cuddled up to Axel with a smile on his face, and Axel slept, holding Roxas with a handprint of the right side of his face.

When the clock struck 12:00, the door suddenly opened, and the lights opened. A bouncy Rinoa came in and started singing a random tune about waking up and Christmas. All four of the boys blinked their eyes, trying to adjust their eyes to the sudden light change.

"C'mon," Rinoa said, as she bounced down the stairs. "It's Christmas!"

"Why does she gotta be so enthusiastic?" Roxas grumbled, as he rubbed his eyes. "She's like Sora on a sugar high…"

"Hey!" Sora yelled back. "I don't act nearly as crazy as she does."

"Hmm," Riku said, thinking out loud. "Maybe it's because she's always trying to hook us up."

Axel smiled, as he eyed the blonde that sat next to him. "Who said it didn't work," he said, as he leaned into the blonde.

Roxas held his hand up. "I gave you a print last night, I can give you another one." Axel frowned and moved his face away, but not before stealing a quick kiss on Roxas' cheek.

Everyone downstairs heard an "Oww!" and a slap sound. When Roxas, Axel, Sora, and Riku came downstairs, they all saw the other four awake and like they had been last night. "Wait a minute," Roxas said. "You guys stayed up?"

Leon shrugged. "Yea," he admitted. "Rinoa likes to wake up people on Christmas. We thought you guys needed the rest, so we didn't want to tell you." In other words, "We wanted to mess with you because I wanted to go PG-13 on your brother while Rinoa woke you up with a blow horn."

They all sat down near the Christmas tree that had been decorated by all of them. They all watched its beauty for a while, before Mrs. Strife sighed. "All of you don't want to seem greedy, but I know you all want to dive into your gifts," she said with a smirk. "But, since I'm the oldest, I guess I go first!"

She took a nicely wrapped gift in golden foil. It wasn't flashy, and it seemed very plain. It was definitely from Leon. But when she opened it, they all heard her gasp. "My Leon," she said. "It's beautiful." She held up a necklace with a blue topaz stone in the center. Next to it was a small bracelet that was also decorated with bits of blue topaz.

"The necklace is from me," Leon explained. "The bracelet is from Cloud." Mrs. Strife smiled, and pulled both of them into a hug.

"Open mine next," Rinoa said, as she handed her a box. The wrapping was green and red with little pictures of dogs in Santa hats.

"Oh my," Mrs. Strife said, as she opened the gift. It was a bottle of perfume, and a very expensive one. "This is really nice Rinoa. I'll wear this on special occasions. Like when Sora and Roxas get married." Mrs. Strife winked at her sons.

Sora held his head in his hand. "My mom is trying to corrupt my mind!" he yelled out.

Roxas sighed. "Here's mine and Sora's," Roxas said, as she handed her a box covered in blue and gold wrapping.

Mrs. Strife opened it and pulled out two key chains. One had the Mickey Mouse symbol, and the other looked like a zipper for one of Roxas' jackets. It pointed out in all four directions at the end of it. "Did you two make these?" she asked. Roxas and Sora nodded. "They look beautiful. Thank you, you two." She hugged both of them.

"You guys are next," Rinoa said, as she handed Leon and Cloud a box. Leon thanked her as Cloud opened it. Cloud immediately blushed and closed the lid.

"T-T-Thanks R-Rinoa… W-We'll try to use this…" Cloud said _too_ quietly.

"What is it?" Sora asked with curiosity evident in his eyes. Leon simply opened the box, and laughed as he closed it. "Well?" Sora questioned again.

Riku nudged Sora. "She probably got them a sex toy…" he murmured. Sora immediately blushed right after he said that.

"I think she got them condoms," Axel said, stating his thoughts quiet enough for only the four of them to hear. Sora's blush increased, while Roxas just smirked knowingly at his older brother.

"Here you go, dear," Mrs. Strife said as she handed a box that looked like you would put clothes into. She gave it to him with a bright smile, completely unaware of the conversation her _"innocent"_ little boys were having. Cloud opened it and blushed even harder, if that was possible.

"Mom!" he whined. "My own mother! She's trying to torture us just because all of her children are gay! Mom!"

"Hey!" Sora suddenly yelled. "I'm not gay!" He didn't see that small flash of hurt that crossed Riku's face. But Leon noticed it. He sighed. Handling new love was always so troublesome.

"I wouldn't go saying that in front of your lover, Sora," Leon replied, all too bluntly. "After all, I've seen you give your fair share of feelings to him." Sora blushed.

Mrs. Strife simply giggled, a thing she had been doing more of ever since Rinoa came for her vacation. No on could ever tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Boys, I don't mind if you're all gay. I love you all the way you are. You will still be my little boys. Sora, I really think you should just confess to Riku how you really feel. And Cloud. I thought it would look good on you! Leon wears it all the time!"

Cloud had gotten a pair of leather pants and a leather jacket. And it was extremely tight. It must've been at least two sizes smaller than what Cloud was currently. "I like it," Leon said amiably. Cloud really felt like punching him. Instead, he just shoved his little box into Leon's hands. Leon opened it up and smiled. "Awww, Cloud. You're so sweet." Leon took out a small stuffed lion animal. It was very detailed. It's mane and tail was so lifelike, and the life was almost evident in it's eyes. It looked ferocious, like how a lion should be, but at the same time, it looked a bit tired of acting ferocious. Like it was lonely… Leon hugged Cloud. "Reminds me of myself. Thanks." Leon gave him one small kiss on the forehead. Cloud smiled and snuggled into his boyfriend. And for once, no one, not even Rinoa, bothered to ruin the sweet moment.

"Our turn!" Sora exclaimed. It had been tradition, that ever since they were little, Roxas and Sora would share their presents. Mrs. Strife put two boxes in front her two sons.

"Here you go you two," she said.

"Their clothes aren't they?" Roxas asked. Sora, who was about to open his, sighed.

"Now now, Roxas," Mrs. Strife chided. "It's the thought that counts. And there's a lot of thought in those gifts."

"What?" Roxas asked. "I can't be greedy on Christmas? Fine… I'll see what it is."

Roxas and Sora opened their boxes at the same times. They both pulled out a long black robe/trench coats. It was hard to tell, because the material was soft but durable, and it reached all the way down to the feet. And it perfectly fit them. "Uhm mom?" Sora asked, as he wore his. "What are these supposed to do again?"

"I thought they looked nice," Mrs. Strife said. "I made them specifically for you two. And Axel and Riku of course." Mrs. Strife pushed two boxes towards Axel and Riku.

"We couldn't ma'am," Riku said. "They look… too nice for us."

"Nonsense," Mrs. Strife said. "Besides, if I gave it to Sora and Roxas, you and Axel deserve far more than them."

Axel smiled and opened it and put it on. "Thanks ma'am." Surprisingly it fit, which was surprising to Axel, for not many clothes fit him. "How did you know my size?" he asked curiously.

Mrs. Strife smiled. "Roxas told me."

Roxas instantly blushed, which was even more evident from the black coat he was wearing. Axel smiled and stalked over to his boyfriend. "Naughty naughty, Roxie," he said playfully.

"I think Sora looks cute," Riku said, as he eyes his little Sora in black.

"I think you look hot," Sora said, not even thinking twice about the consequences. He couldn't deny it anymore. Something about Riku attracted him. He really liked him, and he just seemed to like it more, the more time they spent together.

"Here," Leon said, as he handed identical books to Riku and Axel. They were books on martial arts. "I expect you to protect those two."

"Hey!" Roxas and Sora shouted in unison. "We can take care of ourselves!"

Leon blinked at the two twins. "Sora, you're scared of too many things to list. Roxas, you just don't like to accept help from people."

Cloud nodded with his boyfriend. "Yup. And your Uncle Barret told me you two are doing horribly in P.E."

"It's not my fault that everyone aims for the little guy in football!" Sora said, with tears in his eyes. However no one seem fazed by it. Sora stopped his fake crying. "Jerks," he mumbled, as he wiped them away. However, Riku grabbed his arm.

"Let me," he said, gently, as he kissed them away. Suddenly, a camera flash…

Riku turned from where he was tending to Sora, to glaring at Rinoa. "What?" she asked innocently. "I need these pictures. Do you know how much girls will pay for a picture of you hot guys together?"

All of the guys there started to blush. Well, except Leon and Axel. Leon because he was trying to hide his laughter. And Axel, because he was busy laughing too hard to hide it. After everyone had calmed down, Roxas said he had something to say to Rinoa.

"Rinoa," Roxas began. "It's been great having you here. I feel… happy. You helped out everyone's relationship problems. I don't know how to thank you enough…"

Rinoa smiled. "It's alright," she said. "I'm really good at playing matchmaker. You should've seen the first time your brother and Leon met. It was like trying to get two rocks to talk to each other. But then again, I wouldn't put it above them. They do have stones for brains."

"Hey!" Leon said. "I can't believe you. Insulting us at Christmas. Don't you ever get tired of teasing us?"

Rinoa winked at him. "It's fun to see you guys flustered."

"Well how about you?" Cloud asked. "Don't you like anyone?"

Rinoa blushed. "No, not really. I've seen some cute guys, but I think one has actually captured my heart."

"Which one?" Sora asked curiously.

Rinoa smiled. "He's kind of like a bad boy. But he's just misunderstood. I want to help him. And I think he really likes me…"

"Who is it?" Riku asked.

"I'm not tell you," she said coyly.

Suddenly, Roxas had an idea. "Oh wait!" he exclaimed. "Hold on!" Roxas left the living room and went into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and found his papou fruit that Leon had given to him. Weird though… One of the legs had already been broken off. A papou fruit was in the shape of a star. But this only had four legs… Roxas shook it off, and broke two of the legs of fruit. Roxas put one behind his back and walked back to the living room. "Merry Christmas, Rinoa," he said, as he handed her one of the legs of the papou fruit. "Share it with that special someone."

Rinoa took the leg of the papou fruit gratefully. "Thank you Roxas. I will try my best." Roxas smiled back at her.

"Well than," Mrs. Strife said as she stood up. "I think it's time we went back to sleep." Sora yawned at that statement. **(A/N: How many actually yawned at this part? When I typed it down, I actually yawned too!)** Mrs. Strife smiled at her youngest son. "Good night everyone," she said, as she retired to her room.

Leon, Cloud, and Rinoa excused themselves as well. Sora watched the tree a little longer, before Riku got him to go upstairs. That only left Axel and Roxas. Just the way Roxas wanted it.

Axel yawned. "Well than," he said. "I think we should get going than. How about we get to sleep now?"

"Hold on," Roxas said. He took out the papou fruit from behind him. "Axel. I want to share this with you."

Axel's eyes widened. "I thought what you gave to Rinoa was familiar. Roxas, are you sure about this?" Roxas nodded. Axel smiled at his boyfriend. "I'd be honored to."

Roxas took a bite of the papou fruit and handed it to Axel. Axel then took a bite himself. Roxas liked how it tasted. Even though it was in the fridge, the juice seemed warm and it heated his insides. Axel liked it too. It tasted… pure. It tasted satisfying, but it made him crave more. Roxas took another bite, but Axel took Roxas' lips. He met Roxas' lips in a kiss. When they parted, Roxas frowned. "You took my piece," he accused. Axel smiled.

"What are you going to do about it?" Roxas smiled, and tackled Axel into the couch. They play wrestled for a while. When they were done, they were both exhausted. "Hey Roxie."

"Hmm?" Roxas asked, as he was lying on Axel chest.

"There's one more bite."

"You can have it…"

"I want you to have it."

"No…"

"Fine then…" Axel put the piece in his mouth and captured Roxas' lips into another kiss. During the kiss, he bit the papou fruit that was in his mouth, and he let Roxas take the other half. Roxas graciously took it without complaint. When they both parted, they both felt strangely elated. "Merry Christmas, Roxie…"

"Merry Christmas, Axe…"

They both fell asleep on the couch.

--

When Sora and Riku got back up to Sora's shared room, they immediately saw a Rinoa standing in front of their door.

"What is it Rinoa?" Sora asked.

Rinoa blinked at them, and saw their conjoined hands. She smiled. "Do you guys know the papou fruit and what it means if you share it with someone?"

Sora shook his head, but Riku nodded. "Legend says if you share it with someone, your destinies will be intertwined. They can only be found in one place. Destiny Islands, my former home."

Rinoa nodded. "That was a very good explanation. I just wanted to let you know that you two ate one together."

Sora cocked his head in confusion. "When?"

"Remember that smoothie?" Rinoa asked. "The only kind of fruit I put in that was papou fruit. Papou fruits always taste different depending on who's eating it with each other. How did it taste for you two?"

"It tasted very exotic," Sora said. "Like all the fruits in the world mixed with one."

"Really?" Riku asked. "It tasted… very refreshing. It was like I could drink it forever."

Rinoa looked out the window that was in the hallway. Her face looked distant. "The papou fruit is very special. It reveals your innermost feelings to the person you share it with. I just wanted you guys to know that." And with that, Rinoa walked away.

Sora was lost in thought as Riku guided him into his room. As Sora walked towards his bed, he climbed in and had his back turned to Riku, not even bothering to take off the garment his mother gave him. Riku didn't bother to either. Riku didn't blame Sora's silence. To find out his feelings were all based on a fruit. Riku laid down on his makeshift bed on the floor. Minutes passed, but neither Riku nor Sora could sleep.

Finally, Sora spoke up. "Riku…"

"Hmm?" Riku asked, as he lifted his head to look at Sora.

"Can you sleep with me?" Sora asked sheepishly.

Riku couldn't believe what he heard. "Aren't you mad? Your feelings are based on a fruit."

Sora shook his head. "No. It's not. I know this feeling. It's weird, because I've never felt it, but I feel like I know it. It's true love. Riku. I love you."

Riku blinked at the smaller boy. He smiled and rose. He walked towards the sleepy brunette. "I love you too Sora…"

Sora smiled and made room for his boyfriend. Riku slipped in, and held Sora close to his chest. Sora could hear Riku's heartbeat slowing down, as Riku relaxed. Sora closed his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Sora," Riku said, with a kiss to Sora's forehead.

Sora smiled, and muttered, "Merry Christmas, Riku…" Sora then let the darkness claim him. Riku nuzzled the younger one, before closing his eyes and welcoming the darkness as well.

* * *

**A/N: Mmm. Very nice and fluffy at the end. Thought I'd give it to you guys before the next chapter where the plot starts to kick in. This will probably be my last filler chapter until I start the sequel. It's been fun, but this fic should draw to its end in 3 to 4 more chapters. Thank you, and again, sorry for the massive delay. Incidentally, I had this halfway done for like 2 weeks, but I never bother to finish it. Sorry. I promise to have the chapter out double quick!**


	14. The Landing

**A/N: Hey Everyone! I'm back from my break…kinda… Seriously, you guys are all exhausting. I **_**HAD **_**to take a break… No just kidding, I went somewhere the whole time. And then I had to take some time off before school started. And then I forgot how stressful school can really be… Truthfully, I should really be doing homework… But I really need to get my writing groove back. Anyways, here is the next update.**

**Disclaimer: Me no own. So stop trying to sue me!!**

* * *

2:55. Roxas watched the clock, extremely pissed with it by now. 2:56. Every slow monotonous motion of the second hand drew Roxas crazy. 2:57. Tick tock tick tock. 2:58. Roxas will the last minutes of school to go. 2:59.

"Don't forget class," Mr. Shinra said. "Your history projects are due tomorrow." Several groans were heard throughout the class. Some of them were relishing the soon to be A. Some of them were wondering how they were going to manage a hasty C. 3:00! Roxas waited for the final bell to signal their freedom. It never came… Mr. Shinra looked at the square customary clock that was implanted into every classroom. "Odd." Mr. Shinra said. "Class is dismissed." Everyone ran out of the room, in a big huff. Roxas barely had time to register his movements, as he was part of the crowd, eager to get out of school.

Roxas ran out the front door, relishing his freedom from the daily prison labeled "school." Roxas took in some fresh air, not being used to being in the stuffy school. They had all just gotten back from winter vacation, and they were still getting back into the school schedule. Roxas stood at the foot of the stair, stretching, as the weary sunlight warmed up his entire body. Suddenly, he saw him. A man wearing blue pants and gray armor. The man stared back at him, his eyes cloaked by the metal helmet he wore. It seemed as if time was frozen, the crowd was passing Roxas, and he just stood there, in the middle of it all, watching the man that hid in the shadow of the stairs.

"Hey Roxas!" Roxas turned back to see his friends. He waved at them, but when he turned back to the place the man was standing in, there was no one there. Roxas looked around and shrugged it off. He looked towards Hayner, Marluxia, Pence, Olette, Larxene, and Yuffie. "Oh hey Rox!" Hayner said. "We were just headin' to the usual spot. You comin' or what?"

Roxas smiled and nodded at his friend. "Sure, I'll come."

"What about Axel? And Riku?" Larxene asked, wary that Axel would just pop up out of nowhere.

"Uhm, Axel had to do something today, and Riku's spending time with Sora," Roxas said. "Anymore questions, class?"

Larxene sneered at Roxas before she went back to talking quietly with Marluxia. "C'mon," Olette said to everyone. "Let's go." They all walked down to the usual spot through the sandlot. Surprisingly, Seifer and his gang were nowhere to be seen. Along the way, Pence got them all sea salt ice cream bars, and they were currently sitting in their hideout, eating their ice cream, letting the never-changing day pass them by.

"So, what's with Ms. Lockheart's breasts?" Hayner suddenly interposed, speaking more out of boredom and lack of things to talk about. This pretty much got him a hit on the head from just about every girl currently there. "Oww! Jus' wondering. I mean like, they're sooooo big," he exaggerated. "It's impossible to not wonder what she does to make hers like that."

Olette hit her boyfriend again. "Hayner! That's so crude! I can't believe it!"

"Eheh," Hayner said as he rubbed his sore spot on his head. "Not my fault, 'kay? She shouldn't be flaunting her goddamn tight clothes like that. They curve in on her too perfectly." Olette hit her boyfriend again, almost enjoying it… Okay, she _did_ enjoy it.

"Moving on," Marluxia said, trying to save Hayner, "I think it's totally unfair that Mr. Shinra is demanding us to turn in our projects tomorrow."

"I know," Larxene said coldly. "I haven't even started yet."

"Well don't you worry," Yuffie said. "It's just high school. Soon we'll graduate, move on, and die…"

"Wow Yuffie," Pence remarked. "You seem kinda down. And you're not hyper like you usually are. Actually, you're downright negative."

"Yea," Yuffie said quietly. "I usually get like this when something bad is going to happen. I don't know why, but I just feel it coming…"

"Maybe it's because you're going to get a bad grade," Hayner joked. Yuffie hit him again.

"Quiet. Just so you know, my project is 100 finished, and it's absolutely perfect. What have you done so far?"

"Uhm…" Hayner thought out loud. "Close to none of it…"

Roxas suddenly got up. "Uhm guys, as much as I'd like to see you beat up Hayner." This obviously invoked a "Hey!" from Hayner. He was suddenly shot down by Olette's glare, however. "I have to go back home. Gotta work… on my project…"

"See!" Hayner accused. Hayner was currently having his ears pulled on by Olette. "He's not done yet, either! Why don't you go chastiss him or something?"

"It's 'chastise' Hayner! No wonder you're also failing reading!" Roxas left the… couple to fight out their own problems. Roxas walked the rest of his way home, immediately going through the Underground Concourse and going through the tunnels. The tunnels connected all of Twilight Town, and there was even one that connected to the suburbs area where the houses and school was located. Market Street and Sunset Terrace could all be reached by train, but those unwilling to spend on the tickets always walked through the tunnels. Needless to say, it was easy to get lost… Unless you knew this place like Roxas did. Roxas found his entrance and made his way through the gate. He walked home at a monotonous, but bored pace. There it was again… The feeling of being a rut… Ever since the Destiny High kids showed up, things had become exciting. But today was that long day. Nothing excited him anymore. He just wanted something to happen!

Roxas entered his house, not surprised to find no one home. He slowly trudged up the stairs and looked at his twin beds. He always had top bunk, but he had slept in Sora's bed once in a while. Well, time for some variety… Roxas walked over to Cloud's room and jumped in, immediately succumbing to the oblivion that he had created from his boredom.

* * *

"ROXAS, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM!" No response.

"Maybe he's dead… C'mon, Cloud. He's obviously tired. Let him sleep."

"BUT WHY THE HELL IS HE IN MY BED!"

"Well… Your bed is comfy… But I always found you to be more comfy…(wink)"

Cloud blushed. "Whatever… Let's just get out of here…"

* * *

"Roxas!" Roxas was abruptly shaken awake when he felt Cloud's hand on his shoulder. "Wake up!"

"I'm up!" Roxas yelled, as he sat up. "What time is it?"

"It's time for dinner," Cloud said monotonously. He started to walk out of his room, but before he left, he turned around and said, "You're welcome to fall asleep on my bed anytime you want now."

Roxas blushed at what his brother must've done with his boyfriend without access to his room. He wouldn't tell Sora about this, of course. Roxas got up, and walked down the stairs. His hair was in a mess, but he didn't care. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Riku, Sora, Axel, Cloud, Leon, Rinoa, and his mom already eating. "Hey," Roxas said sleepily, while squinting his eyes as he adjusted his pupils.

Everybody stared at him as he slowly walked to a seat by Axel. Roxas slowly sat down and took a helping of pasta for himself. Everybody continues their eating and talking, but Axel looked concernedly at his boyfriend. "Are you okay Roxas?" he asked. "You look like shit."

True, Roxas did look like, 'shit.' Roxas just stabbed his fork into the red pasta and immediately lost his appetite. He fell back on Axel, who captured him in a hug. Roxas looked up at Axel. Almost pleadingly, he asked, "Will you stay the night?" Axel nodded and kissed his forehead. Obviously his little Roxie was in some deep shit, and he had to get him out of it.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Leon said suddenly.

"What?" Sora asked surprised as if he was the only one who didn't know this. "Why? How come you have to leave now? You just got here!"

Leon smiled at the spiky-brown haired boy. "We're sorry. But out vacation ends today. We're pushing it by staying the night. Tomorrow night, Rinoa, Cloud, and I will be leaving. We'll be here when you come after school to say goodbye." Sora pouted but gravely nodded.

"We'll be there to say goodbye," Riku said, referring to him and Axel.

Leon nodded, but Cloud just stared at him. "If you or him do anything to my little brothers, I swear. I will hunt you two down to the last ends of the Earth, castrate you, beat you, and make sure you both suffer a long terrible death."

Riku sweat-dropped at the intensity in Cloud's voice, but Sora suddenly interjected, "Good thing that won't be necessary! Riku is nice! Don't worry Cloud!" Axel, meanwhile, was still holding Roxas.

Pretty soon, after eating about ¼ of his food, Roxas asked if he could excuse himself. His mother watched him with a worried look, but consented, knowing her son wanted privacy. Roxas gravely nodded, and walked up the stairs to his room. Axel soon followed suit.

When Axel entered the room, he saw Roxas lying on the top bunk, facing the wall. Axel sighed and climbed up the ladder. "Got any room up here?" he joked. Roxas didn't respond. Axel sighed and laid down with Roxas. He pulled Roxas into his embrace. Pretty soon, Roxas turned over and hid himself in Axel's embrace. For some unknown reason, Roxas felt his eyes starting to get wet.

"Do what you want Roxie," Axel whispered while stroking his hair affectionately. "No one's here but me." Roxas couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears started to escape his eyes as he tried to get further into Axel's arms. Axel continued to stroke the teen's hair as he put his chin on top of Roxas' head. Pretty soon, the sobs died down, and the sound of soft snoring was emanating from the blonde boy he held in his arms. Axel pulled back and looked at Roxas. He lent down and gave a kiss to his lips. Axel then fell asleep, Roxas still curled up in his arms.

* * *

"Is everything in order?"

"Yes sir!"

"Pefect. Operation: Twilight Town begins at 600 hours. Wherever you are. I'll find you, Keyblade Master."

* * *

**A/N: Gasp! I can't believe this cliffhanger I'm about to put you all at. Fortunately for you all, I need to make some laments for not having updated in a long time. And so, here is (if you want to see it that way) the next chapter/part!**

**BTW, I **_**don't**_** know why Roxas is crying. It's probably just some phase or some psychological problem. No, he's not crazy. But do you ever get those feelings when the world's weight is on you, but you don't know or can't do anything? Well, he's feeling that right now.**

* * *

Roxas woke up to a soft beating. It continued to beat. It left him feeling peaceful. Roxas looked up into the face of his boyfriend and gave him a peck on the lips. Axel's eyes fluttered open and looked down at Roxas. "Mmm," Axel remarked. "I could get used to waking up like this everyday."

Roxas smirked at Axel, but then the events of last night resurfaced into his memories. "Uhm… thanks," Roxas said, not really sure about what to say.

Axel looked down at his boyfriend and smiled. "Anything for you Roxie. I love you. I want you to know, I'll always be there."

Roxas stared back at Axel's green eyes. They were filled with sincerity and love. "I love you too," Roxas said, his blue eyes sparkling with a new sort of feeling. Roxas lay his head back down, against Axel's chest. He continued to listen to Axel's steady heartbeat until a loud voice stirred both of them up.

"Roxas! Axel! Get up! It's about time for school!"

Roxas, never wanting to leave from this place of solace, only clung onto Axel. Axel chuckled and easily carried both him and Roxas out of bed. This, of course, made Roxas cling onto Axel even harder.

* * *

Laguna was busy correcting last minute assignments before school started. He looked at the clock and noted that he had 15 more minutes before school officially started. As of yet, no one was in his class, but he could hear some teens chattering outside his room. Laguna sighed as he wrote a D+ on the paper and set it back down with all the other failures in his class. After about five seconds of thought, Laguna picked the assignment back up and made it a D-. Laguna was about to reach for the next one, when Kiros and Ward burst into his room.

Laguna looked at them oddly. "Is there something wrong?"

"Ward heard some students talk about seeing strange people in armor," Kiros explained. In confirmation, Ward gave a solemn nod.

Laguna suddenly got up. "Are you serious?" He received nods from both Kiros and Ward. Laguna sighed. "Tell all of the students to go to the assembly hall. Then tell all of 'us' to meet in the faculty room."

Kiros and Ward nodded, as they raced off to do their tasks. Laguna sighed as he reached to pinch the bridge of his nose. When he felt the oncoming headache halt, he reached into his pocket to see if it was still there. It was. Good. Laguna got up, wrote a quick message on the board, and walked hastily to the faculty room.

When Laguna arrived all the teachers, excluding Mr. Shinra, were there. "Alright," Laguna said. "This might be it. This is the first sign of activities we've heard about since coming here. Be on your guard. We'll go to the assembly hall and tell everyone to go home. Alright then?" Everyone nodded. Everyone walked out the hall, but as Laguna passed Ward, he whispered, "Guard Sephiroth." Ward gave a solemn nod.

* * *

The assembly hall was in a big uproar. All the 500+ students were crammed in, as 4 of their teachers came up onto the platform. 'Laguna, Kiros, Tifa, and Barret,' Roxas noticed.

Laguna gave a slight cough, before starting to talk into the microphone. "Everyone. We would all like to tell you that school is cancelled today. There will be no after school activities. Please proceed home orderly and safely." And… as if the whole world was conspiring against them, it happened. Explosions were heard from around the school. Now Twilight High wasn't a relatively big school. A left wing and a right wing that housed both lockers and classrooms. A central wing that led to the cafeteria, assembly hall, and more lockers. But those explosion sounds seemed to surround them. "Everyone calm down!" Laguna yelled, as the uproar started up again. "Everyone run home and fast! Yuffie, get up here!" As people started to scurry for the exits, the side windows as the top of the assembly hall were shattered, as military men in armor slid down them in ropes.

'Those people are dressed the same as that guy I saw yesterday,' Roxas vaguely thought. Roxas was the only one standing still, as everyone else all screamed and raced for the exit way. However, their progress was all for naught, as the exits opened, and more soldiers poured in.

Yuffie, at this time, was already up on the stage with the "teachers." She had her eyes closed, and she was sitting in a meditating position. "Damnit Yuffie!" Laguna yelled. "Contact them faster!"

"She's doing the best she can!" Tifa yelled back. "Right now, we should focus on saving the children!" Tifa leapt out into the audience and ran towards one of the side exit doors. She kicked her way through the soldiers blocking the way. Everyone seemed to take the hint and run through that door. Barret followed behind them, holding a strange stone in his left hand. As more soldiers popped up everywhere, a firestorm suddenly enveloped them all, allowing a breakage point for student to get through.

"Get out of here!" Barret yelled as they all fled. "Get home and bolt the door!"

Inside was now chaos. All the soldiers, sensing resistance, unsheathed their blades and started attacking the four "teachers." Some were taking students, whether they were using that stone, or just kidnapping them. Up on the stage, Yuffie opened her eyes. "It's done!" she exclaimed as she looked up to survey the damage. "Oh no they didn't just come in like that. You've done it Galbadia! Taste the wrath of the 'Greatest Ninja Ever!'" Yuffie leapt into the crown, suddenly disappearing, and reappearing later. Every time she disappeared, another soldier would go down.

"Hmph," Kiros said, as he calmly watched everyone. "Such a shame we have to resort to violence…" He held out his hands and two blades strapped to his arms appeared. He dove into the crowd, as well, his blade thirsting for blood.

Laguna clicked his tongue. He really wanted to avoid this. And he _really_ did. He reached into the space under the podium that was seated on the stage. He pulled out a machine gun, and started firing at every soldier rapidly. By now, every student had made it out of the assembly hall, running to who the hell knows where.

* * *

"Must you go where I go?" Mr. Shinra asked irritably as he put his pen down from correcting papers. Ward nodded at him. Mr. Shinra sighed as he stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need some fresh air. I suppose you are going to come as well." He didn't need an answer, as Ward got up and opened the door for him. Mr. Shinra nodded as he walked through, but suddenly stopped. There were two men in armor at the front of the door.

"Sephiroth," one of them said. "We finally found you. Come with us."

"Who are you?" Mr. Shinra asked surprised. "What the hell is going on?"

"You don' remember huh?" one of the soldiers said. This one reached into his pocket, but before he was able to withdraw anything, Ward suddenly slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

Mr. Shinra, taking note of the situation, quickly disabled the second soldier by flipping him over his shoulder and right onto a desk. He dusted off his suit. "I have to remember to thank my martial arts teacher… Now then, what the hell was that all about?"

Ward only put a finger to his mouth and gestured for him to follow. Ward stealthily snuck down the hall. When they reached the central wing, he looked out and saw tons of soldiers running around, looking for any hidden students. Ward looked back at his liability and with his eyes and hand motions, gestured for him to make a run for it. Mr. Shinra, taking note, nodded.

Ward suddenly came out of his hiding space. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pale white sphere. Ward focused his energy, and as the soldiers came forward, fire flooded the halls. Mr. Shinra made a break for it as Ward held off the soldiers.

* * *

"Damnit!" Marluxia sighed as he snuck through the alleyways of Twilight town. Behind him was Larxene. "This way is full of soldiers too. Why the hell would soldiers attack Twilight Town?"

Larxene, however, didn't seem like her usual violent and snide self. She looked distant and, although she would never admit it, scared. "Marluxia," she confided. "I'm… I don't know… I just don't want… Something like last time to happen again…"

Marluxia nodded, understanding his girlfriend's grief. Back on Destiny Islands, Larxene was well… scary beyond all reason. She had few friends… And maybe a group. They called themselves Organization XIII, and both Marluxia and Larxene were in it. It was just a group of friends with a cool label. But, when those soldiers attacked, most of the members stayed behind to detain them. They promised they'd meet at the Island… They never did… And then… there was her… Her name was Xion.

* * *

"_This is our newest member." A small furtive girl with black hair appeared before them. She was shy, and her eyes didn't wander far from the group that stood before her. "Larxene. Seeing as that you're the only other girl. Make her feel comfortable."_

_The shy girl walked over to her. "Uhm… Hi…" Larxene only looked at her, but snubbed her off, trying to ignore her. From then on, the girl would always wait for her. Following Larxene like a lost puppy. And, whether it was the persistence or something else entirely, she slowly became her friend. They laughed, talked about boys, and she even put up with Larxene's temperamental moods. Everything that Larxene wanted. A friend…_

"_You guys! Run! We'll try to hold those soldiers off!"_

"_But Xigbar!"_

"_But nothing! You jus' take care of everyone. Alright little man?" The other figure nodded, and he gave him a hug._

"_If you die I'll never forgive you!"_

"_As if!"_

_Larxene ran with Xion by her side. Suddenly, Xion tripped, and fell to the floor. "Come on!" Larxene yelled. "We have to go."_

_Xion got up curtly. She then looked Larxene dead in the eye. "I am sorry. I've enjoyed the time I had to be your friend. But I have to go back. I cannot leave my comrades alone." Xion hugged her friend, and slowly stepped back. She put her right hand into the pocket of jeans. "Live on Larxene. Live on." She nodded at her and ran back to the currently burning school._

_Larxene just stood there. She was contemplating going in after her friend, but a hand on her arm brought her back to reality. ""C'mon sis! We gotta go!"_

"_Larxene? Are you okay?!"_

* * *

"Larxene! Are you okay?!" Larxene was forcefully pulled from her memories as she eyes Marluxia. Marluxia gave a small smile of understanding and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "We're going to get out of this alive… It's what she wanted." Larxene nodded and she blinked, trying to refocus herself. Her eyes now held the passion for life. She would get out of here alive. Larxene stood up.

"Well then, if there are soldiers blocking the way, we'll just run them over." She looked towards the boxes that always lay here, always cluttered with junk."

The soldiers never saw it coming. Suddenly, about 8 of them fell over, when a big box was just thrown at them from behind. The other soldiers looked back, and saw a fist rushing right at them. Marluxia and Larxene knew enough about hand-to-hand combat, and even though the soldiers had armor, they still prevailed in the end.

* * *

"Zexy! C'mon!" Demyx was yelling at his boyfriend who was currently stopping to rest. "We have to get back. Quick!"

Zexion sighed. "Demyx. Rushing blindly won't do us any good. We have to plan this out. We need to get into the tunnels and back home."

Demyx wildly shook his head. "No. We have to get to Sora's house! Something about his brothers… I know they will protect us…"

"But we can't just impose on people like this," Zexion hissed. Before Demy had a chance to retort, another voice silenced them both.

"Hey, I heard two people coming from over here!" There were sounds of feet running along the concrete of Twilight Town. Demyx and Zexion both sunk down, trying to hide themselves behind some trashcans. Of course, when one person is carrying a guitar case, and another one is carrying a backpack full of cooks, it's kind of hard to hide. "I see them!" Demyx and Zexion both sprung up, surprised to find themselves cornered by at least 5 soldiers. The soldiers smiled at them. "Now you jus' behave all right?"

Demyx seemed to just watch them, but Zexion analyzed them. "Demyx," he said, not really caring if the soldiers heard. The soldiers were treading to them carefully, wary of anything they might do. "Do you remember these people?" Demyx looked at him awkwardly. Zexion sighed at his boyfriend's… incompetence. "These are the people who invaded Destiny Islands last year."

"Heh," the same soldier said. "So you two decided to hide out here in this ringding city? Hmph. Smart, but it's too late. You're coming with us, no matter what."

"I wouldn't think so," Zexion said, as he swung his backpack around his shoulders. He opened it and pulled out a dictionary. Which answered Demyx's question on why Zexion was running so slow. He had like 3 dictionaries in his backpack! Zexion, suddenly, threw his dictionary straight at the man's head. The man tried to react, but the dictionary managed to strike the top of his head, ringing against the helmet.

"Heh, nice try. Now you jus' be a nice little emo and come over wit' me." But before he knew it, Zexion was running towards him. He threw his backpack at him, and while the soldier was intercepting it, gave him the best judo kick he could muster. The man flew back, slightly winded. The others, sensing resistance, began rushing forward.

"Zexion!" Zexion couldn't believe what happened next. When he had ducked to get away from those _really sharp and scary_ blades that the soldiers suddenly pulled out, Demyx suddenly hit one with a giant object. It just so happened to be his sitar, which he absolutely adored.

"Demyx…"

"I'll take care of these guys," Demyx said, holding his sitar like a sword. He rushed forward, whacking the soldier's on their unprotected legs and arms. Zexion, on instinct, started ramming into the soldiers with all his strength. Pretty soon, the soldiers were on the ground, writhing in pain.

"I think you might've broken some people's bones…" Zexion muttered.

"Well no one hurts my boyfriend," Demyx said bravely. Zexion looked up at Demyx and let a smile pass his features. He gave Demyx a quick kiss.

"C'mon. Let's get to Sora's house."

* * *

Hayner, Pence, and Olette continued to run blindly until they reached a familiar spot. "Wait," Hayner said, as he held them off. "Look! It's the sandlot!"

Hayner, Pence, and Olette walked in from the Market Street Entrance. As they walked to the center of the sandlot, soldiers, suddenly popped up out of nowhere, surrounding them.

"Wah!" Pence yelled. "It's a trap!"

"Well aren't you bright," one of the soldiers said. His giant sword was already out and pointed at them threateningly. "Now come over peacefully and we won't have to cut you guys up."

Hayner looked all around them, looking for any way to breach through their surroundings. No such luck. And currently, he was the only one who could fight. Pence wasn't really the "fit" type, and Olette looked scared beyond all reason. Hayner sighed. Olette had always told him to be cautious. Hayner held his hands up in defeat. "Hayner?" Olette asked, surprised that her boyfriend hadn't blindly rushed them.

"Hah!" the soldier scoffed. "See that men? That's a kid who knows when to give up!"

"Hey Loser!" Everyone looked towards the entrance from the alleys, as Seifer skidded in on his skateboard. He flew right through two soldiers, knocking them briefly to the ground. As he landed on the ground, he jumped off his skateboard, letting it fly towards another soldier in the giant ring. "You're just going to going up like that, aren't you? Figures. You losers never had it in you to make it through."

"What!?" Hayner yelled, not really feeling in the mood to deal with Seifer's crap.

"You heard me," Seifer mocked.

"You're all getting on my nerves," the head soldier said. He then shouted, "Attack!"

As the soldiers ran forward, Hayner and Seifer immediately surrounded Pence and Olette, realizing they couldn't fight. They kept back any soldier, by kicking or hitting them back. Suddenly, Rai and Fuu came in from the alleyway opening and joined the fight from the outside. Rai seemed to be able to handle his strength well, while Fuu was graceful and also skilled in the martial arts moves she was performing. Pretty soon, most of the soldiers were retreating, sensing they couldn't beat them.

"Alright," Hayner yelled. "That's right! Not in our town!" He was suddenly hit on the head by Seifer. "Oww! What was that for?!"

"Don't provoke them," Seifer said, his eyes holding something he clearly wasn't showing. He then pointed to the exit. "Go," he said. "We'll hold them off."

"But Seifer," Pence protested.

"I said go!" Seifer yelled. "Let the Twilight Town Disciplinary Squad set them right!" Fuu and Rai appeared behind him, nodding.

"Yea," Rai said. "You guys gotta go, y'know. It's dangerous out here, and we barely got outta there, y'know."

"Dangerous," Fuu stated. "Go. Safety."

"Thank you," Olette said, feeling a bit awkward for thanking their longtime "self-proclaimed" enemies.

"Yea, thanks," Pence said, trying to smile, even though the situation was dire.

"You can thank me by leaving!" Seifer yelled. Pence and Olette complied immediately, running away. Hayner stayed, however. "What are you waiting for, Lamer?"

"Hey," Hayner said. "When this is all over… Wanna play me in a struggle match?"

Seifer was a bit taken aback by this question. "Uh yeah… Sure…" Hayner nodded and started to run after his friends.

* * *

Naminé and Kairi quickly ran through the open streets. They were currently running from the soldiers who were, by now, hot on their trail. Kairi was running, but Naminé had to stop. "I'm sorry Kairi," she admitted. "I'm tired. Please, just give me 5 minutes." She slid down and suddenly realized she was holding her drawing book the entire time.

"C'mon Naminé," Kairi said. "Just a little farther. Into that alleyway. We'll rest there." Naminé nodded and got up to follow Kairi into the alleyway. They both sat down, and panted heavily, not saying a word for fear of someone discovering their hiding place.

"Why do you think those soldiers are trying to kidnap up?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know," Naminé said. "But I do wonder…"

"What?"

"Is this linked to the incident that happened at Destiny High a year ago?"

Kairi was about to give her response, but heard footsteps getting louder. Since there was nothing to hide behind, they were in plain view of anyone who stepped into the alleyway. "Got them now!" the soldier yelled. "Hey ladies. Just come with me, and we'll make everything better."

"No!" Kairi said as she stood up. She looked around, trying to find something to use to defend herself and her sister.

"Heh. Spunky. I like that. Well then, looks like I got nothing to do but…" He rushed forward, suddenly taking the more petite girl from behind. She brought her arms behind her back, and as she struggled to get out of his grip, her book fell to the ground, and a small star came out.

"Naminé!" Kairi yelled.

"Hmph," the man smirked. "Give up and I won't hurt this beautiful girl. Still… maybe I will…"

"You let go of her!" Kairi yelled.

"Run Kairi!" Naminé yelled. "It's better if he has just one of us!"

"Heh," the man laughed. "How noble. Unfortunately, I need both of you. So…" He took out a knife and held it to Naminé's throat. "Come over to me or the girl dies."

Naminé was shocked as she felt the cold metal of the knife held to her throat. She was now afraid to speak, as if one word would have her finished for good. Kairi, however, was now in tears. "No… Don't kill her… I'll come with you…"

"That's a good girl," the man said, as he retracted his blade. Kairi, while trying to recompose herself, picked up the small star key chain. She looked at it, admiring its handiwork. Both of them had made that key chain when they were young for good luck. It was made of thelassa-shells, and it possessed a little face and a smile. It was their own little secret, and no one ever knew about it, much less saw it. It was a symbol of them being sisters.

Suddenly, something happened. The little star started to glow. It's radiance caused all three of them to cover their eyes for a moment. As the light faded, Kairi found, in her hand, a giant key. It looked angelic and it glowed with a brilliant light. The handle looked elegant, and it traced up to the end where it was decorated with a rainbow-colored shell in the shape of a cross. And at the end of it was their good luck key chain.

"What the hell is that?" the man said. However, he didn't release his hold on Naminé. Kairi's arm started to move. She didn't know why. It felt as if the key wanted her to move it. Kairi, looked towards the man and narrowed her eyes. With all the speed she possessed, Kairi appeared behind the man, and gave an upward slash with the giant key. The man, yelled at the key cleaved through the back part of his armor like paper. The man crouched over, in pain from his bleeding back. Kairi then grasped the long part of the key, and hit the man over the head with the hilt of the key. The man fell over, unconscious.

Naminé, at this time, was clutching her book to her chest, looked at Kairi. Kairi then looked at her sister. "Naminé, I-" She was suddenly cut off, when the key started to glow again. They both had to look away from the light, and when they could see again, the key was nowhere to be found. In Kairi's hand, was the good luck key chain they had made. They looked at each other. "Uhm…"

"Let's go home," Naminé suggested. "Before any more of those creeps come back." Kairi agreed quickly.

* * *

"C'mon Roxie!" Axel yelled, as he ran down the alleyway. Roxas ran behind him, who was followed by Riku and Sora. When those soldiers had attacked, all four of them managed to get away, Axel ducked into an open space in the alleyways, and was soon followed by the other three. All four of them were panting voraciously. "Let's rest for a while," Axel breathed out. The others nodded in agreement.

When Riku had regained his breathing, he said, "I remember those people."

"From where?" Sora asked curiously.

"Last year… At Destiny High… Those are the same people that attacked Destiny High…" Axel nodded, suddenly remembering.

"I saw them too…" Roxas commented. Everyone looked at him. "I-I mean, I saw one of them hiding behind the stairs yesterday. I thought he was just an illusion or something…"

"Well no matter what, we still have to get out of here," Riku said. "And alive. I think we should go to Sora and Roxas' house."

"How come ours?" Sora asked.

"Because your brother, his boyfriend, and that Rinoa girl know more than they're letting on. Their linked to this, I just know it."

"Well how will we get there?" Roxas asked. "If you haven't noticed, the streets are almost crowded with soldiers looking for us."

"We'll have to fight through," Axel said. "Don't worry Sora, Roxas. We'll protect you two."

"I can fight!" Roxas protested.

"So can I!" Sora said.

"Heh," Riku chuckled. "Alright then, but don't get yourself in any trouble. I don't know what I'd do without you, Sora." He gave Sora a kiss on the forehead, and Sora nodded, his cheek starting to show signs of a blush.

"All right then, let's go." Axel creeped out of their temporary rest stop and started slowly slid along the walls of one of the building. The last thing he'd want to do is alert any soldiers that were nearby.

Roxas, Sora, and then Riku followed Axel. One by one, they crept along the walls, not even making a sound, heading for their primary goal. The tunnels that connected all of Twilight Town. It would be easy to lose anyone on their tails there. As the group of four slipped into the tunnels, they relaxed, as they found themselves within the safety of the maze of underpasses. They walked through the tunnel, encountering no one. One could almost say it was like a regular walk home… If it wasn't for the fact that their lives were on the line… As the familiar house came in sight, they all stopped, not believing what they were seeing.

* * *

The blue starry train pulled into the station. With an eerie air, five figures walked out of the train, all five of them cloaked with a hood over their faces. One walked forward, as if looking for someone. And as if on cue, a brown half German shepherd, half Border collie walked up to them. The figure nodded to it, and the dog barked. It then proceeded to run out of the station. The hooded figure ran after the dog, and the other four followed suit.

* * *

Roxas, Sora, Riku, and Axel all stared in amazement as an entire battalion of soldiers was positioned in front of a house. And not just any house. Sora and Roxas' house. They all seemed to surround a group of people. And that small group just so happened to be Cloud, Leon, and Rinoa. Soldiers were attacking Leon, Cloud, and Rinoa mercilessly with long swords. However, Leon and Cloud fought back with swords of their own, and Rinoa seemed to be holding a stone in her hand. Suddenly, fire, ice, and lighting appeared from out of nowhere, striking down a whole row of soldiers.

"Woah," was all Roxas could say.

"Wow," Sora muttered.

"Dang," Axel said. "Those guys got some moves." All of them nodded. They all watched as Cloud, Leon, and Rinoa all effortlessly took down the entire battalion of soldiers. When things had calm down, they immediately scattered, looking for any more runaway soldiers.

"Cloud!" Sora yelled, as they ran up to him. "What are you all doing?"

Cloud suddenly dropped his two blades when he saw Sora and Roxas. He brought them both into a tight hug. "Oh my God. You're all safe. Thank you…"

"Yea," Roxas muttered, feeling the air leave him. "But we won't be for long…" Cloud let them go and muttered a, "Sorry." "What's going on," Roxas asked.

"This isn't really my place to tell you," Cloud said.

"Roxas! Sora!"

"Axel! Riku!"

All four of them turned back to see their friends running to them. All of them, with the exception of Yuffie, were there. Hayner, Pence, Olette, Kairi, Naminé, Larxene, Marluxia, Demyx, and Zexion. "You're all okay," Kairi said, happily, as she hugged Sora. "I'm so glad…"

"Woah, Kairi!" Sora said, jokingly. "What's with the drama? I'm not dead yet."

"You're one to talk," Kairi teased. But then her face regained her somber expression. "I'm just scared, that's all. Naminé was almost murdered by one of those soldiers."

"What?!" Roxas yelled.

"It's okay," Naminé said. "I'm okay Roxas."

"Well then, it's glad to see we're all together again," Marluxia said.

"Not all of us," Pence remarked.

"Without that girl that who would never shut-up, it's almost quiet," Larxene commented.

Just then, a hooded figure came up to Cloud. "Cloud," one of them stated. It was a feminine voice. "We're here to relieve you." The woman pulled the hood back, and revealed a curt woman with her held up in the back, and two long strips that bordered her face.

Cloud just stared back at her. "Cid sent reinforcements… Thanks but no thanks. We don't need help in town."

The woman smirked slightly. "Now now Cloud. No need to take this all on yourself. You may be strong, but even you have your limits."

"Did you check the school?"

"I sent Zell, Irvine, and Ellone to head towards the school," she explained. "I'm more worried about the citizens and the students. Were any kidnapped?"

"I think Rinoa and Leon just left to check around the city… Which means they left me with explaining this whole situation to…" He gave a glance to the teens who were currently listening intently to their conversation.

The woman's smirk grew wider. "Well then, have fun with that. I'll go survey the city as well." She began to walk away.

"Wait Quistis!" Cloud yelled, but to no avail, she did not turn back. He sighed. He then eyed everybody currently there. "C'mon," he grudgingly said. "If you're going to hear this, then you might as well get comfortable…"

* * *

Everyone was now situated in the Strife household. All of the teens, Cloud, and Mrs. Strife, who nearly had a panic attack when those soldiers appeared, were gathered in the living room that fortunately provided everyone with enough room.

"Where do I begin…" Cloud asked, more to himself than to anyone. "Let's see… Okay. Uhm, Mom, Sora, Roxas… I don't really go to Balamb University. I go to a special military unit force called 'Garden.' We are right off the town of Balamb, so I go to Balamb Garden, alongside Rinoa, Leon, and basically everyone else. We deal with special missions, specializing with world-to-world travel. Please… ask questions later… Anyways, you've never heard of Balamb because it exists in another world. Anyways, the soldiers you saw today were our enemies. They were soldiers of Galbadia Garden, a rival Garden. So far, in our world, there are three Gardens. Trabia, Balamb, and Galbadia. All three Gardens have long shared a truce, but Galbadia has been participating in some rather… unusual expeditions. They have been attacking worlds like this, and taking people by force. Us soldiers, called SeeDs, are supposed to defend everyone. So yea…"

No one said anything. Everyone was shocked that something like this was actually happening somewhere else. What shocked the Destiny High children the most was that the invasion a year ago was caused by the same thing that was happening now.

"Well then…" Demyx stammered. "What about last year? At Destiny High?.."

Cloud, for some unknown reason, looked as if he was trying to hide from their watchful gazes. "T-that is something… that was our mistake… You see, we responded to this attack rather fast, because we had been watching this place for some time now. The Twilight High staff are all Balamb SeeDs. But… Destiny High… We just never saw it coming… We responded too late, and when we arrived we found so many dead and so many missing… I-I-I'm s-sorry…" This was obviously painful for Cloud.

A wave of hurt passed over Axel's face. He suddenly felt the urge to let out his emotions. He wrapped his arms around Roxas, and pulled him in from the back. He bent down and buried his face in Roxas' hair. Roxas, confused with his boyfriend, still allowed him to do what he wanted.

"So my baby has been doing something this dangerous and never telling me?" Mrs. Strife suddenly burst out. Tears were in her eyes, obviously scared for what could've happened to her son. Cloud slowly nodded.

Mrs. Strife sighed. "I should've known why you were always avoiding our topics about your school. I just… I know you're helping the world here… But what if I lose you in the process?"

"Mom," Cloud said, "we all run risk of dying everyday. There is really an ulterior motive to why I'm telling all of you this. See… Balamb Garden is looking for recruits… SeeD cadets, if you will."

"What are you talking about?" Riku suddenly spoke up.

"You can choose to enter Balamb Garden and train as a SeeD," Cloud explained. "I had hoped that I could tell you this your senior year, but right now, we're in dire need of more SeeD members. At the Garden, we don't have many SeeDs."

More silence. "B-but," Demyx spoke up, "what if we don't want to become a SeeD."

Cloud nodded. "We have that planned out as well. We'll find you a suitable college or university suitable for your tastes. This is optional, but I'm offering you all a chance to help the world."

"I'm in," Larxene said, as she stood up. "Those bastards… took away my friend. I'll do anything if it means getting back at them."

"I'm in too," Marluxia said, standing up by his girlfriend. "If Larxene is going, then so am I."

"I'll do it!" Demyx yelled, standing up. "They made our group separate. I want to find the rest of our Organization." Zexion stood up, not speaking, but obviously showing that he was going with Demyx.

"I'll do it!" Hayner proclaimed, as he stood up alongside the others. Olette stood up, agreeing with her boyfriend, and Pence followed, not wanting to be left out. Kairi and Naminé looked at each other, and stood up at the same time. Riku stood up, and Sora followed him. Axel who was already standing with Roxas remained up. Roxas, however, wiggled out of Axel's grasp and slid down onto the couch. Everyone stared at him, as he looked at them, unsure of everything.

"I just can't do this…" Roxas said. "First of all, we know nothing about this Garden and other worlds. How can I be so sure that this isn't as hard as it seems? I don't want to die… I want to live…"

"C'mon Roxie," Axel urged. "Stand up." Roxas, however, remained obstinate.

Cloud looked at everyone. "I thank you all for choosing to help us. Roxas, I understand how you feel. We'll find a college for you, and you'll stay safe. You won't have to deal with this. But… are you sure? It isn't that hard once you get used to it." Roxas nodded. "Okay then. I'll alert the others that we'll have some new recruits to bring home."

Just then, a brown haired woman with a long brown braid walked in. She was wearing pink clothes, and they were quite frilly. "Cloud," she stated, "I've placed a barrier around this entire area. It should be safe from all Galbadia soldiers for now."

Cloud nodded. "Thanks Aerith." No one except Roxas noticed that Axel slightly twitched when the name, "Aerith" was said. "Guess what. We have new SeeD recruits."

Aerith smiled. She was a beautiful woman, and she seemed very compassionate and gentle. "Wonderful then. I'll go report this to Cid right away." She walked out of the room.

Cloud turned to everyone. "Get packed. We leave when this problem here in Twilight Town dies down."

* * *

Thankfully, the barricade that Aerith had set up reached to the clock tower and the train station. The barrier prevented anyone who entered it from fighting or using magic. If they tried, they would suddenly be paralyzed. Roxas was currently sitting at the top of the clock tower, where he usually sat with his friends. Only this time, he was by himself. Roxas wore the black robe that he had gotten from his mother for Christmas. What could he say? It was comfortable, stylish, and nice and warm. Especially when Twilight Town got colder in the nights.

Roxas stared off into the distance. While Twilight Town always looked like… twilight, there was really a difference between the afternoon twilight and the morning twilight. The afternoon twilight always showed the moon rising, which was a beautiful sight to see when you could see the two heavenly bodies coexist in the sky. Roxas was busy admiring the view, he didn't even notice someone walked up next to him and sit down next to him. Roxas turned over and looked at Axel. He was wearing the same outfit that Mrs. Strife had made him, and he had two Sea Salt Ice Cream bars in his hand. He handed one to Roxas, who in turn, gladly accepted.

Both Roxas and Axel sat there eating their Sea Salt Ice Cream bars, watching the moon slowly come out, and waiting for the only time of day where the twilight sun wasn't visible in Twilight Town. When they had finished their ice cream, they discarded their sticks, but they still did not talk. Instead, they simply enjoyed the quietness that came from just being with each other.

When the sun was close to setting, and the sky was painted a beautiful vibrant array of colors (more so than usual anyways) Axel proposed a question. "Roxas. Why don't you want to go to Balamb Garden?"

Roxas looked at Axel. "I don't know… I just don't know… I guess I don't want to go fight… What if I die?"

Axel chuckled a bitter laugh. "That's a risk we face each day Roxas. Will we live to see the next day? To see the face of our beloved?" Roxas did not comment. More silence passed between them, before Axel spoke up again.

"Roxas," he said, "do you know why I want to go?" Roxas, however, still did not respond. He had become dumb to the world, not talking, but hearing everything. And that was all Axel needed. "At Destiny High last year… I had an older brother… I was in my sophomore year, and he was in his junior. His name was Reno. I also had my dad. He was my Math teacher, and although he was always tough on us, he was the best teacher and father I could've ever asked for." Roxas still did not speak. And so, Axel went on.

"When those soldiers, Galbadia, invaded Destiny High last year… they… They captured a lot of us… My dad died, making sure Reno and I got away… And then Reno was captured, making sure I made it out… Both of them, gone… because of me…" At this point, tears had burst from Axel's eyes, and they were now sliding down his face without remorse. He did nothing to stop them from falling. "T-t-that i-is w-why I w-w-want to b-become a-a S-SeeD…" Axel didn't know what it was, but he felt the warmth of another body pull him into a hug. Axel, however, was blind in his own memories. Axel allowed himself to be pulled into the hug, and his tears were slowly wiped away, as he cried into the lithe chest of whoever the gracious person was.

When Axel recomposed himself, he looked up at Roxas' blue eyes. They were filled with unshed tears, but also a spark of determination. "Axel," he said bravely. "I'll come with you."

* * *

**A/N: Alright everyone! This was my last chapter of Twilight High, and yes, it was LONG. Well technically, it was like two chapters, but whatever. Look out for the sequel, "Balamb Garden" which should be starting very soon. Yes, a lot of things were left unanswered here. Guess you'll just have to wait for the sequel! It's been fun to write this, and I can't wait to write the sequel!**


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